Seasons of Chances and Love 2: Perfect Love In Summer
by Linnea Farhen
Summary: Fuji/OC. I wonder… How long will I be able to put up this kind of front? How long will I continue lying to you? You're in pain, wallowing in grief, drowning in sorrow—your eyes show them all at that instant. Your eyes kept on shouting "save me"… And I want to do it… for you… Just let me do it. I can save you… whatever it takes... Open up your heart to me...
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: This is my first attempt to do a FujiXOC fanfic. I'm not sure how this story will turn out but I hope you enjoy reading this one. Thank you!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Prince of Tennis. Only the OCs... and there's a whole bunch of them**

**Warning: Characters might not be in their usual selves. In other words, possible OOC**

**.**

**.**

The sun was beginning to set… The wind was starting to blow forth, making everything cold around… Her heart was beating fast as she continued to run heading towards a certain direction. She knew where she should head since that was the only place she could think of—a place special to both of them. It was the place where he first told her he loved her, after all.

It was a place of their memories, where their love story first began. It would always be a place that would remind her to believe in the love that she has for him.

Her body was screaming for her to stop running but her mind wasn't complying to that. She has to reach him before her finally gave up on her. She has to let him know that she finally remembered him and their love. She has to let him know that she would never leave him and forget him again. She has to let him know that she could fulfill her promise to him that she would always love him and only him. Letting him know that was the only way she could think of. It was her way of asking his forgiveness for forgetting him and their love.

She was panting heavily when she reached the place. Luckily, no one was around except for him when she let her eyes roam the place.

The place was a seaside cliff where they would always watch the sunset as it tainted the world with its red orange color. There was never a time she didn't admire and feel amazed at the breathtaking sight. But no sight was far more breathtaking than the sight of her beloved watching the sun slowly went down to the horizon. His light brown hair was being blown by the ocean breeze as he watched the breathtaking site. She then realized that she would forever admire her beloved's calm and handsome face. It would always be her greatest regret if ever she really ended up eternally forgetting this man.

"Syuusuke!" she called out loud, catching the attention of the aforementioned person.

Of course, she expected the surprised looks on Fuji's face as soon as he turned around and faced her. He heart was beating fast as she approached him slowly. It was always like this whenever this guy was concerned. But then she soon realized that her heart was beating like this because it was an obvious reaction from her since she loved him. In fact, she loved him so much and she feared that she would never feel her heart beating this way again if ever she lost him. She couldn't afford to let something like that happen.

"Miyako…" Fuji uttered in sheer surprise and happiness upon seeing the woman he loved in front of him. "What are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to head out to the coliseum to perform tonight?"

"Do you really think I could perform any song if I know you're out here probably crying all alone because I hurt you?" she asked in return instead of answering his question. "Besides, I could never perform anymore…"

Fuji was surprised to hear her answer but he couldn't ask her why even though he wanted to.

"…I'll never be able to perform anymore if I know that I'm about to lose you…" she said in a soft tone. Her voice was cracking because she was about to cry. "I can't afford to lose you, Syuusuke. I love you so much that it pains me knowing I hurt you because I inadvertently forgot about you and our love. But when you gave me the music sheet with our song written on it, that's when I remembered everything. I even managed to finish it because of that. But I can't afford to lose you and ending our love in the process. I want to be with you forever, Syuusuke. This time, I'll make sure I could fulfill it. Just give me a chance for me to do so. I'm not going to leave you again, I promise…"

But she didn't hear anything from him at all after that. It was something she didn't expect. Maybe he finally gave up loving him and she came too late. The thought alone hurt her to the core and made her cry.

She soon felt warm arms wrapped around her that froze her for a few moments before she felt a familiar warmth that made her cry even more. She returned Fuji's tight embrace in the same degree, as if she was afraid of losing him if she let him go.

"Our song really possesses magic like what you told me before… You came back to me because of it," he said softly. "But I could never give you up, Miyako. I want you to remember that. There's no way I could do something as impossible as that. Yes, I walked away since I couldn't force you to believe me. But I want you to remember that I love you. No matter how many times I walk away, I'll always come back to you since walking away doesn't really mean I don't love you anymore."

"I'm sorry… I'm sorry for forgetting you…" was all she said in a muffled tone since her face was buried on Fuji's chest. A tighter embrace was the reply she got.

She didn't know that she was already smiling as he continued to embrace her. But it wasn't a sadistic smile. It was a grateful and gentle smile for he was thankful of what was happening right now. He was thankful that Miyako's lost memories returned and it made her return to him.

"You never really forgot about me once you realized it, Miyako. I've always been inside your heart even after you suffered from amnesia. Our song only became a path for our memories to return to you. I never left you, Miyako. Our love never did…" he stated as he slowly released her from his embrace. "That's how strong our love is. Now it will be even stronger than how it was before since you returned to me."

Before she could say anything else, he lowered his head and gave Miyako a deep, breathtaking kiss that she had come to love. That kiss made her believe what he said was true. It then made her believe in a love far stronger than what she had first felt for him before.

She knew that only Fuji could let her feel that love for the rest of her life. Only he could let her fully understand it as they spend the rest of their eternity together. His kiss was only one of the proofs that he had for that.

The kiss ended and she looked at him lovingly. He smiled at her as he touched her cheek.

"You're the one I'm really meant to be with, Miyako. At the very least, I want you to remember that. I'll stay with you and love you forever…" he said emotionally and he embraced her with so much love.

"I love you too, Syuusuke…"

**.**

**.**

…or at least that's what I wanted to say. Unfortunately, that wasn't exactly how my love life went wherever I look at it. And I, Yumemiya Miyako, could only do this in the novels that I wrote. This kind of love life could only exist in my imagination and I could only convey it in papers.

I sighed after I read my finished manuscript from my laptop. Yes, I did another habit of basing my story's hero on the Seigaku's tensai Fuji Syuusuke. Of course, only I knew that fact. And should I state who I based his leading lady with? Probably not. It was already obvious, anyway.

Why was I doing the same thing every time I write a novel? This novel—once approved by my editors—would be my 9th novel. I was surprised on how my story turned out to the readers. My first novel was a huge hit—it was a bestseller. It didn't only appeal to the girls but also to the boys, as well. I was surprised when I learned that.

But unknown to all, one of my 8 published novels' hero wasn't based on Fuji. I based it on Tezuka Kunimitsu and the whole story was somewhat parallel to his and my friend Hondou Kazumi's love story. Many people were saying that it was a heart-wrenching and at the same time, a really romantic story. But only I knew that I based it on their story.

I wrote another story—and luckily managed to finish it in an even faster rate—to kill the time so that I could finally sleep. Stupid insomnia struck me again! I guess this was the only advantage of this sleeping disorder to me. Writing novels was also a way for me to divert my attention and for me to stop thinking more about Fuji again and again. But in the end, I was wrong.

Who was I fooling, anyway? This novel I just finished writing made me think about that sadistic tensai. This story made me wish that a love story as beautiful as those in my novels would somehow happen to me. If Aino Nadeshiko (that's my pen name, by the way) could write a really beautiful happy ending to the couples she created in her novels, why couldn't my fate do the same thing?

It was weird for me to wish that I could have a happy ever after specifically with Fuji Syuusuke. But it wasn't bad to wish for something like that, right? After all, I could only wish for it. Not like it could actually happen… unless a miracle could rewrite my destiny and would actually allow the quiet, aloof and quite unsociable me to be with the handsome and amazing genius like Fuji.

Sheesh! I never thought Kana's romantic belief and Aika's romantic "cheesiness" despite their tough nature could be this contagious. But I guess I could understand why they were like that. Just like me, those two were also liked someone (or love would probably be the best word to describe their emotions). Kana loved her childhood friend Oishi Shuichiro since sixth grade. Aika loved her best friend and a family friend Kawamura Takashi since the start of middle school.

As for me, I liked Fuji Syuusuke since third year middle school even though he had no idea I exist. Yup! I've been loving him for that long. Wait… Did I just say I love that sadistic genius? That fast?

I sighed once more and this time, it was a heavy sigh. Of all guys that I should love, why him? Why did it have to be Fuji? I mean, I could love other guys, right? But my heart ended up having feelings for him even though I knew it would be impossible for me to reach him.

I guess romance in real life would never be as easy as the romance in novels. After all, it was hard to manipulate the characters of the real world unlike the characters in my novels. And I won't be able to manipulate my feelings for him once I finally fell hard for him.

But with the world we were living in right now, could I really let him know that? Could I just let myself be satisfied on wishing to have his love and wait until the fated day that I could call Fuji Syuusuke mine? I knew I sounded possessive but I couldn't help it. I want him… all of him…

That, unfortunately, was something I could say which was next to impossible…

…at least for now…

How I wish my novels have the power to make that wish of mine come true…

…or maybe I should just sleep since insomnia was finally leaving me after making my brain go whacked.

Yeah… maybe I should just do that…

**.**

**.**

Fuji read the novel _Till The Day I Can Call You Mine_ by Aino Nadeshiko for the fourth time that day (or should I say night since it was already 11:54 pm). He couldn't help but to be fascinated by that romance novel. Ever since Aino Nadeshiko's release of her first novel, he had become a fan of her works. Her writing skills had captured his attention (and probably his heart, as well) that he always waited for the release of her novels. _Till The Day I Can Call You Mine_ was her third novel.

Though he knew the author was a woman, he has no idea about what could she possible be looked like. Aino Nadeshiko never made a public appearance even though her novels were always becoming a big hit to many people. But by continually and repeatingly reading her works (even though it was only a few), he could already decipher that Aino Nadeshiko was someone who knew both Tezuka and Kazumi's love story. He based that hypothetical guess on Nadeshiko's novel entitled _Music, Love and Promise_ because only a few people (very few, to be exact) knew Tezuka and Kazumi's love story. Even if the characters' names were changed so that it would appear like it was fiction, Fuji could still see the parallelism of the novel to the real life—his friend's love life, to be more precise.

But even if he already had that guess, he still need a few more data (now he was beginning to think and act like Inui) in order to find out who Aino Nadeshiko really was. He would take his time in doing so. After all, it wasn't only Aino Nadeshiko's novels that captured his attention.

There was another person—a girl around his age with slightly long golden hair and ice silver eyes who has a really beautiful and captivating voice. And her name was…

…Yumemiya Miyako, the academy's "Siren of the Silver Wind".

What would happen is he discovered the fact that the singer Siren of the Silver Wind and the novelist Aino Nadeshiko were just aliases of only one and the same person? But then, how long would it take him to discover that fact?

Of course, this would be told in another story…

* * *

**Don't forget to review about this. If you have story ideas related to this one, you can leave it on your reviews. No flames, please! I'm begging you. ^_^**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Prince of Tennis and its characters. I only own the OC's of this story.

**Warning:** Characters might not be in their usual selves. In other words, possible OOC

-x-x-

**CHAPTER 2**

Miyako couldn't help heaving a heavy sigh as soon as her sight met with the dark ceiling of her room. It was the kind of sigh that stated her hate and frustration over… something. But that "something" wasn't exactly an easy topic that she could voice out to her friends, particularly to Kana or Kazumi. That "something" wasn't a topic that she wanted to remember.

But a dream in which she had vividly seen, replayed over and over in her mind, was what made her remember. Her heart pounded fast but it wasn't a good feeling at all. Just like those nights that it invaded her much-anticipated sleep, a feeling of heaviness would always take over her no matter how much she tried to shove it off as fast as she could. No one knew that heaviness she had been lifting for more than a year now—a type of heaviness she wanted to dispose of but could never leave her, letting her continue to lift it all the way.

Why couldn't it simply leave her alone? Just how many times does that dream have to appear in her mind—whether she was awake or asleep—before she could finally have the peace she had always wanted? She'd been repenting ever since it happened. Wasn't that enough already? Does she really have to kneel down on her knees all day and beg for the mistake she had in the past to disappear and never disturb her in her memories or in her dreams at all?

_It's been a long time. I know I made the greatest mistake when I lost it… But do you really have to remind me over and over about it? Do I really have to suffer so much for you to forgive me? I'm really sorry… that I couldn't save you. I was there when it happened and all I did was… I'm not the one who's supposed to be walking here on earth—on the world of living—at all…_

Emotions got the best of her. Before she knew it, hot tears from her stinging silver eyes started trickling down her cheeks as she sat up from her bed. A quiet, muffled sob soon followed as she closed her eyes even though she knew it wouldn't do anything to prevent her tears from falling…

…especially at this point.

The sound of her sob that resonated in that room was one of the proofs that her life had been a mess… and full of pain. Many times, she thought of giving up living at all. Fortunately, the only person who knew that thought of hers was her older brother Mamoru. Her British mother would definitely freak out if she ever found out about her daughter having that thought enough to destroy a life for sure. Her Japanese father—though not exactly that obvious since he was stoic in some ways—was similar to her mother. He would also freak out if he found that out.

And more than ever, she didn't want that to happen. It was enough that they've been extremely worried for her after _**that**_ incident. She didn't want a repeat of that anymore.

A few minutes more had passed before her sob finally subsided and turned to sniffles. Sheesh, why does her tear glands had to act like a dam every time she would have that dream?

_Because you've been blaming yourself non-stop ever since the day it happened…_ the voice in her head said and it continued to echo. No one knew she had been doing the blame game in the shadows for more than a year now.

No one knew that the "Siren of the Silver Winds" of Seishun Gakuen and "The Illusionist" of the girls' tennis club during middle school in Kanagawa wanted to shrink and eventually disappear in the face of the earth because of that blame game. No songs nor illusions could make that guilt she had in her heart disappear forever. No one could do anything about it at all…

Not even—

_Fuji Syuusuke…_

Her sniffling stopped; her hands froze in mid-air, her silver eyes slightly widened. That name… Why does it have to enter her mind now, of all times? Now that she thought about it, this was the first time that a name made her immediately stop crying. Yes, sniffling was still a part of crying and she would insist on that. But that wasn't what she was actually worried about.

And then something hit her. The novel she just wrote and eventually finished writing last night. It was the scene she wrote there that triggered to let her remember a painful memory… and soon after made her think about Fuji. She wanted to blame her insomnia for it, for not letting her able to sleep early so she would be fine by…

A frown crept on her face. By the way, what time was it already?

That was when she looked at the alarm clock on the bedside table on the right of her bed. _3:29…_ A wry smile soon changed that frown before allowing herself to lie down on her bed once more. Just great! What a perfect timing it was.

_A perfect timing to torture my heart and my mind again…_

But… Then again, wasn't she supposed to have gotten used to it since it was the same scenario over and over for more than a year now?

Upon closing her eyes, an image of a familiar handsome face of a boy who had been invading her thoughts appeared in her mind. Come to think of it, just a thought of him was already enough to give her a sort of peace in a way. But hey, could someone even consider it peaceful if her heart was beating wildly with just a thought of that heck of a guy?

This was one thing that confused her ever since she had first seen him upon transferring to Seigaku during third year middle school. They were not classmates but they constantly see each other along the school corridors or in the library. The only place in which their paths would surely never cross at all—and somehow, she was sure of it—was the music room. It was one of her favorite music rooms, after all. It was the place where silence was forgotten, the wall she built around herself until now was breaking down easily and the ice around her heart would melt with ease. Only music had the power to do those things to her.

Until now, no one was able to do those things to her in any way. In fact, there was still a wall surrounding her and isolating her world from her friends (Kana, Kazumi, Aika and Hanako) even though she didn't want to do so. She knew that the wall would never last as long as she told them the truth as to why it was built in an instant. But telling them the truth had proven itself to be a futile effort.

She couldn't tell them. She was afraid of even more pain that it could possibly bring to her.

And that's why she vowed never to let her feelings of pain and guilt show itself to anyone. No exceptions.

Not even to the person who might have the ability to change her strong hold on her belief that she wasn't meant to be happy for a long, long time. Not even the tensai of Seishun Gakuen…

..Fuji Syuusuke…

-x-x-

But that plan was something that she could never fulfill till the end. Though she was unaware of the possibility for it to happen to be soon, she knew it was bound to happen one day. Only, she has no plans of letting that sadistic tensai know about it.

It would give her even more reason not to forgive herself… and to give up living altogether.

_Oh, please, Miyako! Will you stop being pessimistic for once?_

As much as she hated it, she was pessimistic about her life had went through for a long time. But if there was nothing which could be done for her to forgive herself, that pessimistic attitude of hers would never fade away.

"Good morning, Yumemiya-san," came a cool voice that almost instantly made her stop to her tracks.

And with that, she almost had the urge to sigh exasperatingly, especially since the person whom that voice belonged to was probably right behind her. _Great! Just when I had this resolve to stay away from him as much as possible…_

But it would be rude of her if she didn't greet him a casual "good morning" like what she used to do. Yet she had to admit, this person was really someone she should be wary.

After a few seconds of contemplating, the urge she had to sigh was put into action before she turned her head and faced the person who was right behind her.

"Good morning, Fuji-san," she greeted with a small smile.

To her confusion, though, Fuji didn't say anything. He just looked at her intently but she didn't miss out the part that he was looking at her with worries. And that was when she remembered. She didn't sleep well last night. She probably had dark circles under her eyes now.

_I would've slept better if I didn't have that nightmare-ish memory last night…_ She bit her lip as she remembered that.

No words came out of the tensai's mouth even after a few more moments that had passed. Okay, make that minutes. Several students passed by them and most of them thought that it was a silent conversation of some sort. While some thought of it as being weird. But the two concerned people didn't give a thought about all of that. Miyako was in the middle of contemplating about her "nightmare-ish memory", as she called it, which he had dreamed last night. Fuji was thinking of doing something for Miyako—to help her with whatever worries she has, to fade it away at least for a short while.

Fuji knew that Miyako has a big reason for her not being able to sleep well last night. Her casual greeting ans reserved smile could never hide that—at least not from him. He knew her at least that much. After all, watching her and observing her routine ever since he saw her the day she transferred to Seigaku during their middle school made him know her a little. But his yearning to know her more had always been a hard task for him. He felt like she was so far no matter how close they stood to each other. They were like worlds apart, unable to reach out to each other no matter how hard he tried. Even still, he didn't lose hope.

There might be at least something that would allow him to finally reach her.

Before he could think of his actions whether it would be taken as an insult—like to piss her off—or to help, he grabbed Miyako's hand without a word and pulled her away from that place. Miyako wanted to pull away from Fuji's hold on her but seemed too weak to do so. She was tired so she just let him despite the surprise she felt because of it. Not to mention, her heart was definitely acting weird again.

_As if there's something new to that…_ Fuji had always have this effect on her no matter how hard she tried to stop it from happening. From the moment she saw him, her heart would always beat fast. She would always feel different warmth running through her veins as he saw him smile or laugh with his teammates. Those crescent-closed eyes looked happy and yet several mysteries remained hidden in it.

Those mysteries—whatever it was—were something she was wary of, among others. Her feelings were just second in the list of her reasons why she should stay away from Fuji as much as possible. Maybe not staying away in a literal sense. It was her heart that she needed to protect from him. But the novels she wrote, the songs she sang… As much as she hated to admit it, but those things could possibly betray her in so many ways.

And that betrayal might lead her to make the same mistake again.

"We're here," came his serious voice that disrupted the flow of her thoughts.

It was when he realized that Fuji had brought (or pulled would be the most appropriate word) her to the school infirmary. Both of them entered there before she could even ask him the reason why he brought her there. They approached the bed near the window and he made her sit there. Soon after, a woman in a white coat whom she already knew as the school doctor entered the room.

"Well, it's too early for you two to have a date. But I don't need to remind you that this is not a dating place," the doctor said in a serious tone but Miyako could already tell that there were hints of amusement and teasing in the way it was said.

Miyako could feel the heat running to her face and her body would have been the next to flush if Fuji didn't bother to let go of her hand. Now wait just a freaking minute! How long had he been holding her hand? A soft laugh snapped her out of her musings as she felt someone held her hand tight. It looked like Fuji held her hand again.

"We're not dating here, sensei," Fuji stated with his ever-present smile on his face. _At least not yet…_ He would've added but chose not to. "We're here because I need to take care of Yumemiya-san. I just don't want her to attend her class without enough sleep. It would be hard for her to concentrate on the lessons if I let it be."

The lemon-haired girl could only gape at that as she faced Fuji while the doctor looked at him with serious expressions. From the looks of it, the woman understood the explanation. That was when the doctor looked at Miyako who was obviously not in a good state. Something must have bothered the girl last night for her not getting enough sleep. Not only that, Miyako appeared to have cried a lot. Either a painful memory or a sad event could only make this possible.

"If that's the case," the doctor started after sighing. "Fuji-kun, make sure she gets enough sleep. I believe they chose Yumemiya-san to perform for the charity concert next week. A good rest is one key of a good performance. And I'm sure you're doing your best not to disappoint your audience. Am I right, Yumemiya-san?"

The aforementioned girl could only look down, for what the doctor said was true. But at this point, Miyako couldn't exactly force herself to sleep. She didn't want to be reminded of that dream again. It happened every time, that's why sleeping wasn't exactly a very good option to relax her mind these past few days. Sleeping became an entrance for those regretful memories to haunt her repeatedly.

"…if you're afraid to sleep." Fuji's voice brought back her mind to reality.

She looked up and faced the tensai. "Excuse me?"

A smile she wasn't used to see on Fuji appeared on his face. "I said I'll stay here with you if you're afraid to sleep."

"No! Don't do that!" she reeled as her face heated up once more.

"Why not?"

"I can't possibly disturb you even more than this. It's enough that you thought of bringing me here to have a good rest. I don't want to cause more trouble to you…" Her voice became softer as she turned her gaze away from him. _That's right… I'll just cause him trouble. As long as I stay close to him, he'll never be safe. I don't want to make the same mistake because of that._

A surge of curiosity had hit Fuji as he continued to look at Miyako even though she was looking away from him. Fear… and at an intense rate, too. She was afraid of something. But what could it be? Every time he was trying to get close to her—to reach her, she would always find a way to distance herself from him. Each time, it got farther and farther.

And each time, he kept on thinking a lot. He wanted to do something to shorten that distance. He wanted to do something to stride that distance and reach her where he would never had to let her go.

His smile slightly widened as he pulled Miyako closer and cupped her face when he finally had the chance. At that point, he saw her blush furiously.

"W-what are you doing?" she could only ask.

"What do you think I'm doing?" he inquired instead of answering her question.

"Fuji-san!"

He couldn't help smiling even more. The way she called out his name felt like music. A song sang by a lone nightingale. Never mind the fact that she sounded a bit scandalous. But still…

_Lone…_ Now where did he get that word? And why did he use it to describe Miyako?

Sad, yes.

Hurt, maybe.

Scared—well, it was an addition but obviously precise.

But alone?

"You have to let go of my face if you really wanted me to sleep," Miyako said that broke the trance surrounding them—even though she didn't want to describe it that way. Well, she has to say something before her mind started running and fell of to the edge of sanity.

Fuji blinked. "You really have your ways of breaking a good moment, huh?" he said before letting go of Miyako's face like what she had asked. But he didn't want to acknowledge the fact that he felt a little… disappointed. Her face felt soft to his hands. And it felt so… right, as well.

Oh, well. At least she thought of a way for him to let go of her face. Who knew what else could happen if he didn't.

Miyako took a deep breath and exhaled a bit exasperatingly before unconsciously lifting her hands to touch her face. To the part that Fuji held… Right now, both sides felt so hot. Just what in the world could he be thinking when he did that?

She put her bag on the bedside table and gently laid herself on the bed. All the while, Fuji didn't leave her side. He assisted her even though she didn't really want his assistance.

_Really? Are you sure you don't really need his assistance when you feel like needing it… badly?_ She couldn't help but to groan inwardly. At this point, she didn't want to have another argument with that side of her mind. All she wanted right now was a good night sleep—one where she doesn't have to worry about nightmares.

But was that even possible?

A blanket covered her until it reached her chest which caught her surprised for a bit. Upon looking up, she saw Fuji with a smile on his face. Seriously, does this guy knew how to stop smiling? He was securing the blanket over her. Despite the fabric of the blanket and her uniform, she could still feel his touch. She couldn't help shifting slightly because of his touch.

An action that somehow Fuji still noticed, yet he chose not to say anything about it.

"Now, sleep. I won't leave here until I make sure you finally sleep," he said as he put a chair near the bed where she was lying.

"You know, I really hate you when you're this persistent. Shouldn't you have other things to think about and prioritize rather than staying here and watching me have a well-deserved sleep?" Well, that was a modest way she could think of so she could push him way.

"You're right. But my priority right now is for me to make sure you sleep before something bad happens to you because of your negligence to take care of your health. And I won't leave you until I finally make sure you get a well-deserved rest."

She groaned in frustration before sighing heavily. She couldn't believe it. This guy was definitely persistent that she couldn't help but to hate him for it. Why did he have to do this sort of thing for her? It wasn't like he was her boyfriend or something.

_Even though I wanted him to be…_

She shook her head mentally to shrug off that despicable thought. Seriously, could this day get any worse?

Miyako pulled the blanket up until it covered her up to the neck. She then chose to close her eyes and probably, doing so would finally help her have some sleep. It was also a way for her to avoid having a conversation with Fuji any longer than how it was a while back. Conversing with this blue-eyed tensai was somehow giving her the creeps. It was like he could actually figure out her fears—especially those greatest ones that she was keeping even from her friends—just by looking at her eyes.

Most of the time, no matter how coldly she looked at him, her silver eyes—which he once compared to an opaque sheet of ice or even an unrefined ore—would reveal certain emotions she was hiding from the rest. How could he easily read her like that, anyway?

That question was the last thing her mind had thought of before it got drifted someplace else. Of course, a little song that Fuji was humming made that possible.

A small smile crept on her face in her sleep.

_Did he remember?_

For the first time, she felt like having Fuji sing a song for her right before she sleep was something that had never felt so… right.

-x-x-

**There's chapter 2. Please review!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Prince of Tennis and its characters. Even the song I used in this chapter. I only own the OCs and the plot of this story.

**Warning:** Characters might not be in their usual selves. In other words, possible OOC

**Note:**

_**xxxxxx –**__song lyric_

_**(xxxxx)—**__translation of the song_

-x-x-

**Chapter 3**

-x-x-

Fuji didn't know how long he sat there and watched Miyako drifted off to sleep. Her slow, even breathing was the proof of that. He didn't actually track down the time since he really has no plans of leaving her side while she was sleeping peacefully at that moment.

He smiled at the sight of Miyako now peacefully sleeping like that. He didn't know what came over him. But as he watched he close her eyes, he had the urge to hum a certain melody. Eventually, he sang it long before he could think of what he was doing.

_I wonder if she can still hear me… especially now that I'm singing this song she sang once before…_

But if she could still hear him, then he would be glad. At least she would know that he didn't forget. He could never ever do something like that.

Especially if it was about _that day_…

-x-x-

_**Flashback: Almost a year ago…**_

_During Seishun Gakuen's Cultural Festival, everyone was surely in a good mood. All were pumped up for the said occasion to be a success. Of course, Fuji and the others were no exception to that. But for the said tensai, that day somehow felt different. And in a way, he knew the reason why._

"_Ne, Fujiko, what are you going to do first?" Eiji asked while exuberantly looking around the school ground where the booths were located._

_But Fuji just answered him with that ever-present smile of his and readied his camera. Of course, Eiji noticed this._

"_You're going to take pictures, huh? Nya, who's your subject this time? Is there any particular person?" Eiji inquired excitedly._

"_There is. But up until now, I couldn't find that person," Fuji said as he looked around the area. What he said was the truth. He had been there for about two hours and yet he had yet to see even the shadow of the person he was looking for._

_At that point, he couldn't help heaving a sigh—albeit inwardly. He should have expected this since it always happened. If she was looking for him—that happened rarely—whenever she needed something to take care of, she could find him easily. But the case was different if it was the other way around. It would take a puzzle that he couldn't solve or a maze which he had no clue of getting out for him to describe the situation where he was the one looking for Miyako._

"_Fujiko!"_

_He got startled upon realizing that a flamboyant red head had been trying to get his attention. From what he could tell, Eiji hadn't been doing it for quite some time yet._

"_Hmm? Is there something wrong?"_

"_Nya, I've been asking you about this person for five times now. You're not even listening to me," Eiji pouted as he whined._

_He just smiled at his friend. "Sorry about that. It's just that I've been looking for her until now. But every time…" _**Every time, she moves away… far from my reach…**_ And from that reason, he only had a few shot about her—most of which were stolen shots. Good thing he got them on a good angle, though. Her angelic features were emphasized with those shots even though they were only stolen shots._

_But as days passed, he felt like he could never stay contented with just taking photos of her secretly. He didn't know why he felt that way._

"_Every time? What do you mean by that, Fujiko?" came an innocent question from Eiji yet it still had hints of interest and curiosity in his voice._

_But Fuji didn't get to answer that at all because his attention was focused on the group of girls passing by his direction. He recognized them as Miyako's classmates in Class 1-3._

"_I wonder what Yumemiya-san will sing later."_

"_I'm excited! Especially since I heard her sing during our Music class the other day. Her song back then was so wonderful."_

"_What queue number is she, anyway?"_

"_She didn't mention. But it seems that the order will be determined on the spot. Using lot, I think."_

_Listening to that conversation made him remember a certain event about to happen later, which might be the one that those girls were talking about. With that, he looked around the area to look for a poster about that event. Ignoring Eiji's call (or maybe he wasn't really paying much attention to that), he ran away from that place and headed towards the bulletin board just near the entrance of the building. And right there, he smiled triumphantly._

"_Nya! You're definitely acting weird, Fuji. Why did you suddenly head out here?" _

_But then Fuji chose not to answer. The answer was right in front of them, anyway. It didn't take long for Eiji to realize that. He saw the poster that he didn't know Fuji was looking for._

"Song of Love: The Search for Seigaku's Siren Contest_? Why are you suddenly interested in this?"_

_Fuji chuckled. "Do I really look that interested?"_

"_A bit." And then Eiji exclaimed. "Could it be that your subject will be coming here?"_

"_I think so."_

"_Huh? You think so? What kind of answer is that?"_

_But Fuji chose not to elaborate further. He just read the information on the poster and immediately looked for the specific part of information he was looking for. It didn't take him long enough, though._

"_Ne, Eiji, are you free later at 2:30?"_

_The red head thoght of it for a few moments. "I guess I don't have anything to do by that time. Besides, our booth will be taken care of by our class rep so we could roam around before our shift's turn. Why did you ask, nya?"_

_Fuji faced Eiji with a smile. "You wanted to meet the person that I've chosen to be my subject, right? If you're up to it, then we'll head out together to that contest. I'm sure we'll meet her there."_

_Of course, his friend agreed to it. All they needed to do was to wait for about three and a half hours before that. When the meeting time approached, Fuji was surprised to see not just Eiji in their meeting place but also Oishi and the others, as well. Even Momoshiro and Kaidoh were there, too. If Ryoma was still in Japan and studying in Seigaku, then the whole gang would have been complete._

"_It seems to me you've brought a lot of companions for this one, Eiji," Fuji commented with a chuckle._

"_But this is something that we should see along with everyone, Fujiko. We can also judge if that person was beautiful and inspiring enough to be your subject for your pictures, nya!"_

_The rest agreed to the red head's words. But Tezuka remained unfazed._

"_You don't have to be shy about it, Fuji-senpai," Momoshiro teased afterwards. _

"_He's not being shy about it," Inui countered as his glasses tinted. "It's just a question of whether he'll tell us about it or not once he sees her there."_

_Well, at least Inui figured that out. Fuji smiled wider at that._

_They reached their destination in time—that was at the gym, by the way. They managed to find seats near the stage easily. Fuji was surprised to see Tezuka quietly and nonchalantly getting along with this. He wondered how Oishi or at least one of his friends managed to convince Tezuka to go with them._

_But he could think about that later._

"_Wow… It's rare to find you all watching something like this, Fuji-kun." A voice of a girl came from behind him._

_Fuji turned around and smiled upon seeing Kana, Aika, and Hanako._

"_Something interesting made me decide to come here," he answered mysteriously._

"_Something interesting? I hope it won't be just a passing interest," Kana said. "This should be a place—at least for now—where you can do thing like internalizing some of the songs meant to touch your heart. After all, this is a contest on how can you express your love to the person meant for it."_

"_Nya, then I guess someone like Tezuka or even Kaidoh shouldn't be here. They're not exactly the romantic people, much less somebody who can internalize love songs," Eiji whispered to Fuji while glancing several times to the stoic man and to their hissing kouhai._

"_Don't be that mean, Kikumaru-kun," Aika said with an amused smile. "It's not really that hard to internalize those songs. As long as you can find it in your heart to understand its meaning, even those people regarded as someone with a heart of ice can be moved by those songs."_

_Fuji couldn't help but give some thought about Aika's words. Was Miyako the type of person who could be moved by her songs? Was she someone who had shielded her heart in ice a long time ago and that ice could only be melted through music—even just for a while? If he wanted to base it on her actions towards him despite the rare number of chanced that they encountered each other for long, then the answer would have already been obvious from the start._

_The lights went out—an indication of the start of the show. A spotlight turned on and aimed to the center of the stage. The emcee came out with a smile. From what was written on the poster and what the emcee said, the contest had actually two categories—one for English and one for Japanese. Out of 20 contestants who signed in and joined, 8 had actually joined for both categories._

_Fuji smiled upon learning that one of those 8 contestants was someone named Yumemiya Miyako—his potential subject for his photography. That means he had more chances to take photos of her. At that point, he just realized something. He never had the slightest idea that Miyako could actually sing in front of an audience. He couldn't help wondering how she sounded when she was singing._

_The first category was Japanese. One by one, the contestants performed their chosen songs and in best forms, at the very least. But the tensai paid them with little to no interest since he was busy adjusting his camera. When it was announced that it was Miyako's turn to perform, he was just done with his camera. He lifted his head and waited for Miyako to appear on stage. But not once it had struck him that she would be so beautiful standing on that platform. Especially with that sweet smile on her face as she faced the audience cheerfully._

"_Everyone, my name is Yumemiya Miyako representing Class 1-3. I hope you enjoy listening to this song I chose for this event," was her introduction before bowing to the audience._

_Fuji looked around. He noticed that even though she was just a first year, Miyako sure had many fans cheering for her._

"_Let's date, Yumemiya-san!" one of the audience shouted._

"_Wanna have some fun after this?" another followed with a whistle._

_Of course, the tensai couldn't help feeling a bit infuriated with that as he heard it. But that slight fury was something that Kana and her friends felt. The three girls couldn't suppress their smiles at that._

_As soon as the cheers and teasing subsided, the music played. The intro of the song seemed a bit familiar to Fuji. If he wasn't mistaken, he had heard that song once. But where and when could he have heard it? His thoughts, however, soon became clouded almost instantly upon hearing the voice of the singer standing on the stage at that moment._

_**Douka ima dake wa furimukanaide**_

_**(Please, just for now, please don't turn around)**_

_**Yuugure sawagu kaze fure sou na kyori**_

_**(The evening, the rustling wind, the distance of nearly touching)**_

_**Kimi wo mitsumetera zutto**_

_**(I could keep looking at you forever)**_

_Beautiful…_

_Angelic…_

_Emotional…_

_Melancholic…_

_Fuji had no idea what other words he could possibly think of to describe the way Miyako sang in front of the audience. For the first time, he couldn't think of ways on how to expand his vocabulary even further. He couldn't find the right words to fully explain the emotions lying in that song._

_Damn right, he was speechless and he would admit it… at least to himself. But trying to find words in his head wasn't the only reason why he was speechless at that point._

_**Kimi ni todoke kimi ni todoke**_

_**(I'm reaching to you, I'm reaching to you)**_

_**Kanawanai koi de mo ii kizutsuite mo ii**_

_**(Even an unrequited love would be fine, to get hurt too would be fine)**_

_**Nan do demo tsutaetai**_

_**(No matter how many times, I want to tell you)**_

_It was her eyes._

_Even from his spot, he could see those sparkling silver eyes of hers. With thanks to the spotlight that shone on her, he was able to see it. His azure eyes opened as soon as he noticed it._

_Was music that powerful to crumble down the barrier that made Miyako's eyes looked a lot like blank and emotionless? Did it contain so much force that made him feel how melancholic and vulnerable Miyako's life really was? Her eyes that looked like they were about to cry as she continued to sing the song… How come they were revealing too much right now that made him speechless?_

_It was those ice silver eyes that made him ask so many questions at that moment to himself._

_Questions that he would really want to have answers soon._

_**Kimi ga suki de kimi ga suki de**_

_**(I like you, I like you)**_

_**Nemurenai yoru demo ii asa ga konakute mo ii**_

_**(Even sleepless nights would be fine, if morning didn't come it would be fine)**_

_**Nan do demo tsutaetai kimi ni todoke**_

_**(No matter how many times, I want to tell you, I'm reaching to you) **_

_Those moments of speechlessness made him temporarily forget that he was supposed to take pictures of her while she was on stage. He only remembered that when Miyako stopped singing and the melody playing was the interlude of the song. Though she was smiling, the same overflowing emotions—most likely melancholic in many aspects—was still there in her eyes. Without trying to waste more time—and also opportunities—for something like this to take a picture of, he set up his camera and looked at the digital screen. He smiled upon seeing a smiling angel with lemon-colored hair and ice silver eyes on that screen._

_He looked up as he watched Miyako started singing the last part of the song. But he did so after he had taken two to three shots of that one beautiful sight. His smile had never left his face as he continued to do that._

_That smiling face…_

_Her beautiful, angelic voice similar to that of a Siren from the Greek mythology where it could hypnotize those who listened to it singing beautifully…_

_Her lemon-colored hair that seemed to sparkle even more as she moved on that stage, as if it was her own world with no care of anything else at all…_

_Those ice silver orbs where so many emotions kept on swirling as long as music continued to play… Silver eyes that only she was rightful to possess, the eyes that first caught his attention…_

_Right from the start, he knew why photos weren't enough to capture those lovely features. He knew why her voice sounded so different, even though it was beautiful—captivating would have been the most appropriate word to describe it._

_And from the start, there was one thing he thought of after watching Miyako's performance for the Japanese category._

_He would do what it takes to reach out to her. He would break that invisible barrier, to crumble it down to dust._

_Whatever it takes, he would do it…_

_**End of flashback…**_

-x-x-

…or at least that was what Fuji had promised to himself, which he rarely did if it was about a girl. But it was different when it comes to Miyako. It would always be different if it would involve her.

An audible sigh escape his lips as he relished the feeling—no matter how foreign or weird—that touched his heart while watching her sleep like a child. Her face was so innocent, so serene, in that sleep. It was like the feeling was similar to that being felt as if there was nothing the world had to offer but peace and warmth.

Fuji found himself humming a song again. Until it came to the point where he started singing the same song that Miyako sang that day.

_**Kyou mo omoide ga hitotsu fueteku**_

_**(Today too, my memories of you increase)**_

_**Tameiki tamerai ne itoshii kurai**_

_**(Your sigh, even if it's only a hesitation, is still dear to me)**_

_**Kimi no matte ita zutto**_

_**(I have waited for you, forever)**_

_**Kimi ni todoke kimi ni todoke**_

_**(I'm reaching to you, I'm reaching to you)**_

_**Kanawanai koi de mo ii kizutsuite mo ii**_

_**(Even an unrequited love would be fine, to get hurt too would be fine)**_

_**Nan do demo tsutaetai**_

_**(No matter how many times, I want to tell you)**_

_**Kimi ga suki de kimi ga suki de**_

_**(I like you, I like you)**_

_**Nemurenai yoru demo ii asa ga konakute mo ii**_

_**(Even sleepless nights would be fine, if morning didn't come it would be fine)**_

_**Nan do demo tsutaetai kimi ni todoke**_

_**(No matter how many times, I want to tell you, I'm reaching to you) **_

A smile formed on his lips as he sang that song to his heart's content.

No matter how long it had been, no matter how short he could have this moment with her like this, it would always come down to one realization. He would always find himself smiling at the memory of that song. He would find himself relishing the warm feeling as he remembered her smile that day. He would find himself feeling his heart twist and turn in anguish—even though he didn't want to feel it—as he recalled those sad silver eyes that showed her vulnerability even for a few moments.

Everything he had ever felt that day would always be something he'd feel over and over. He would always feel it in his heart just like that first time it all happened.

He was snapped out of his musings when he heard something. As he peered at Miyako, he froze for a few seconds at the sight of something unexpected. At the same time, he felt something as if a hand clenched his heart tight because of what he saw.

Miyako was crying in her sleep.

"I'm sorry… I'm really sorry…" were her words that she whispered. But it was still loud enough for Fuji to hear.

Could this be the reason? The dream that she was having now—whatever it was—, was it giving her a hard time to sleep? Could it be that Miyako didn't want to sleep because she was afraid of seeing the same dream—one that gave her pain and making her cry—over and over?

Judging from her voice as she spoke those words, he could tell. She was hurt and regretful over… something. Afraid, he could possibly add that as well.

Long before he thought of it, he found himself sitting on the bed as careful as he could. He watched Miyako continue to silently cry—letting him feel that wrenching feeling in his heart again. His one hand moved and held hers that was laid beside her other hand which she was facing at. He squeezed it a bit tight but still with tinge of gentleness.

He smiled a gentle smile this time before leaning down and whispering something to her ear.

"I'm here for you, Miyako…" The way he said her first name sounded a lot like music to his ears. And he did so without honorifics to go with it. But he could only do that at that moment—while she was still asleep. Nevertheless, it still sounded nice.

Just… perfect.

"I won't leave you… at least until you wake up. I won't let those bad dreams make you sad and hurt like this again. I promise…" Then he squeezed her hand again just to let her know all that.

To his surprise, though, he felt her slightly squeeze his hand that held hers in return. It was just a slight squeeze, but still…

"At least you heard me… even just in your dreams…" he muttered and continued watching her sleep once more.

-x-x-

Blissful might be an overstatement to describe Miyako's feelings after waking up from a four-hour sleep in the infirmary. But it was undeniable that she felt refreshed, without the heavy feeling in her chest that she had a while back before she came to school. It was a relief on her part despite the shock she felt upon seeing that Fuji was sitting on her bed, holding her hand.

A sigh was all she could do after remembering that. Along with that, her cheeks felt hot again. Unconsciously, she touched her hand that Fuji held a while back. Even though two hours had already passed since she woke up, that hand of hers still felt warm. It was a sort of warmth which gave her the feeling of assurance.

Like it was saying that he would never leave her side… that he would never let her cry like that again…

At tha point of her thoughts, she frowned. Was it her or she seemed to have heard the same thing in her sleep? Though when Miyako asked Fuji about it, he just smiled that infernal smile of his and denied it.

"_Why would I do such a thing? It's not as if I'll be getting some credit for saying something like that…"_

Those were his words. Of course, he had a point about that. But still, something felt off about those words. She just couldn't put her finger on it.

"Are you alright, Miyako-chan?"

That worried voice startled her. She looked up to know who it was and she found out it was Kazumi. Despite the concern she saw in those green eyes of her brunette friend, it was easy for her to see that Kazumi was indeed happy about her life right now. It was evident since Kazumi's relationship with a certain Tezuka Kunimitsu was surprisingly progressing. It has been more than a month since the incident that almost tore the two apart.

Miyako remembered the words she had spoken to Tezuka. How she tried to prevent him from making the same mistake he did once before, how she scared him (though she wasn't sure if it worked) if he didn't make a move to settle the problem, how she reprimanded him as coolly as she could about him hesitating to do anything…

She remembered how strong and brave she was in speaking those words to him. But that strength and bravery didn't last long on her. It always faded. Now she has no words—bravely spoken which was accompanied with firm and strong disposition—to say to herself. The words which could convince her that she could do it, that she could pull through, was long gone.

Now words could help her now. No such thing could make her get out of the darkness which hid her heart all this time since the incident that almost cost her sanity.

"You know, you can just go home right after class instead of practicing with us," Aika said as the maroon-haired girl turned and looked at her.

"And miss the opportunity for the Ranking Tournaments? I don't think so."

"But we're worried about you right now, Miyako-chan," Kana reasoned. Her voice proved her words which made Miyako want to heave an exasperated sigh but chose not to. "I don't really know what made you unable to sleep this past days. And I'm sure you're not going to tell us anything about that. But we're only saying this to make sure you're okay. After all, we are your friends."

Miyako fought the urge to cry upon hearing those words from her friends. And due to that, she'd never felt even more guilty than how she was now. But it was really hard for her to tell them the truth.

"Thanks, girls…" she said those words gratefully from the bottom of her heart. "For real."

-x-x-

In the end, Miyako's friends weren't able to convince her to go home and continue to rest. Despite the negative air hovering around her, she participated in the practice in preparation for the Ranking Tournaments. That negative air gradually faded as the practice went on. Their coach, Nakayama Yukino, announced later that day that even first year members were allowed to participate in the Ranking Tournaments. But compared to the second and third year members, the first years must be able to win two out of three matches as part of the preliminary round on the first day.

Those freshmen who managed to pass the preliminary round were the only ones allowed to participate with the second and third years for the second round on the second day. The spot for the regulars (which containedeight excluding the captain and the vice-captain's positions) won't be determined on their number of victories but on their performances during the matches. Which means, the qualified players were allowed to use their aces during their matches if it was deemed necessary.

The Ranking Tournaments would start the next day. Coach Nakayama dismissed the club earlier than usual in order to rest in preparation for the next day's event. After all, it was a whole day event.

"Miyako-chan, are you going to come with us? We're heading downtown to buy a new tennis racket and a few tennis balls," Hanako inquired as they finished packing up their things in their respective tennis bags.

Miyako slung her tennis bag onto her shoulder. "Sure. I need to buy a new grip tape and a headband, anyway. By the way, why are you going to buy a new tennis racket? What happened to your old one?"

"It's still fine. I just want to have an extra racket just in case something happened to the one I'm using by tomorrow's tournament."

"Hmm? I guess you have a point on that." MIyako then made a mental note to buy a new tennis racket, as well. Who knew how long would her current tennis racket last considering the skills of her possible opponents tomorrow for the Ranking Tournaments.

As they stepped out of the locker room, she flinched at the voice that suddenly greeted her a few steps outside. She fought the urge to sigh exasperatingly. Just what in the world was Fuji Syuusuke doing outside the girls' locker room, anyway? Good thing the other tennis club members went home as soon as they were dismissed for some reasons or else, hell will break lose.

Of course, she never realized that she voiced out that question she had in her mind. So it came as a surprise that Fuji replied with a chuckle. Whether it was because of amusement or to keep reining in his control not to be offended, she had no clue.

"Tezuka said he'll be accompanying Hondou-san downtown. Oishi, Inui and Taka-san said the same thing since Eiji overheard your friends talking about it during lunch," Fuji started before she could say anything. "You're heading there, as well, right?"

"I believe it's none of your business if I head there or not," was all she said a bit coldly before she faced her friends. "Would it be okay if I go ahead of you? I remembered that I need to buy a novel in the bookstore today. Onii-san was waiting for its release since last month."

"Sure. Let's just meet at the same place."

Miyako nodded and walked ahead, passing by Tezuka and the others with a glance that said she would go on ahead. Much to the confusion of the other girls, though, Miyako passed by Fuji without anything to indicate the same thing she did to the other guys. It was like the girl passed by the tensai like he didn't exist at all.

It might have been rude of her to do such a thing. But she didn't even know what came over her to treat Fuji like that. But it would be much better this way. Having him near her, whether intentional on either part or otherwise, would only bring her intense pain in the end. Letting him stay away from her at all cost was probably the best way for her to live her life.

After all, he didn't deserve to spend his undivided attention with her.

She wasn't deserving to be given such attention at all.

_I guess things should better remain this way…_

-x-x-

"Ne, Fujiko," Eiji caught his attention with that. Fuji faced the red head as soon as he was done watching Miyako disappear from his sight.

"I guess she hates me," he said jokingly. But little did the others know, he felt like there were needles pricking his heart a thousand times over as he said it. He decided not to show that to his friends.

"That's weird. Something's wrong with Miya-chan."

He raised his head and his attention fixated on Kana. Her face was undoubtedly serious, with the frown and all. "What do you mean?"

"Something's wrong with her. She's not that lively compared to when she was back in Kanagawa. It's not that she hates you, Fuji-kun. But that's as far as I can tell."

"Well, Yumemiya-chan acts otherwise," Eiji countered.

"So you're telling us that she has her reasons for doing this?"

Kana could only sigh as a sign of giving up. "Well, whatever her reasons, I don't think it's something she wanted us to find out at all."

Fuji knew Kana was right. From those words alone, he figured it out. Miyako held a secret that she must not reveal even to her friends. She was protecting them from… something. But what could it be? And why was she treating him like this?

It wasn't like him to feel bitter towards somebody because of their treatment to him. But in all honesty, this would have been the first time he felt a slight bitterness. Even though he didn't want to, he felt bitter towards Miyako's way of treating him. He could only watch her from afar, have little conversations with her during those rare chances that came their way, and yet he got treated this way.

And then, something struck him.

"Ne, Fuji, are you sure you're alright?"

But no words came out from him to answer Eiji's question. His mind was still focused on the thought—the realization—that suddenly hit him.

_Why didn't I notice that earlier? It should've been clear to me since I was with her the entire time._

"Fuji."

It made him look up after feling startled at the voice. Tezuka's face was stoic but he could see something else in it. His eyes showed it.

But all the answer the he gave to Tezuka was a determined smile hidden in his ever-present smile. The stoic man was able to notice that, of course.

"What are you planning to do?" came a placidly asked question from Tezuka.

That question caused several curious and baffled gazes to be fixated at Tezuka, then to Fuji.

A few moments later, the tensai smiled mysteriously. "A lot."

Before anyone there could say anything with regards to that, Fuji took off towards the direction that Miyako headed to. He ran as fast as he could. He has to reach her. Whatever it takes, he has to reach her and do what it takes to never let her out of his sight. To never let her go at all.

After a few turns within a few minutes of running, he finally saw Miyako. She was slightly looking down while walking lifelessly. It looked like she was in deep thoughts but still has a part of her attention on the path she was taking.

He was about to approach her as fast as he could. No matter how slow Miyako walked at the moment, he wanted to do what he must before he lose the courage he built up and let it crumble down. Or if not crumble down, then maybe it would fade one way or another.

He took a few steps to do it but then halted to a stop. He looked up, froze and let his azure eyes open in surprise. Soon after, he found himself running once more…

…towards Miyako before something happened in his watch!

"Miyako, watch out!"

-x-x-

**I know this has been a long overdue chapter but please tell me what you think about it and please review!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Prince of Tennis and its characters. I only own the OC's and the song "Only Reminds Me Of You" that is featured in this story. As for this song, I prefer MYMP's version since Juris' voice while singing this song is much sadder than the other versions I heard.

**Warning:** Characters might not be in their usual selves. In other words, possible OOC especially for Fuji.

-x-x-

**Chapter 4**

"Miyako, watch out!"

She froze. For two reasons.

One, because of Fuji suddenly yelling "watch out" that made her feel something like dread forming at the back of her mind.

And two, because of Fuji suddenly getting her attention by actually calling out her name. Her first name, at that.

But whether she admitted it or not, it was the second reason that surprised her the most. Since when did she give him permission to call her by her first name? But that wasn't what she has to worry about.

Before she gave too much thought about it, she saw Fuji running towards her. Soon after, she felt strong hands pushed her to the ground. It was obvious Fuji knocked her down to avoid something. But what could possibly be the reason? It was then that she heard something shattering and clattering, as well.

_Something was dropped from above... and Fuji-san noticed this? Is this the reason why he knocked me down? And I... I didn't even notice that..._ she thought before she finally heard a thud, indicating that she landed on the ground. But weird enough, she didn't feel anything that resembled ground at all. She was breathing hard even though she wasn't the one who ran.

She could feel something warm brushed her forehead as she tried to calm down her erratically beating heart. Along with that, she also felt the spot where she was lying. It was warm, as well. And it was moving—just like a person breathing in and out in an almost the same time interval.

That was when her eyes snapped open. She raised her head and pushed herself up only to find herself in a most unexpected situation of all. She gaped at the sight that greeted her, technically freezing her to the spot. How in the world did she find herself in this situation? To find herself on top of Fuji now looking at her with his azure eyes open was something she hadn't exactly imagined yet.

Not even in her novels where she actually based the hero's personality to Fuji.

"Are you alright? You're not hurt, are you?" Fuji asked after a long silence that practically surrounded them. His voice sounded a little worried.

Or maybe not just a little.

She flushed all over as his voice actually broke the trance which started when she saw his blue eyes. She looked away and further pushed herself up. "I-I'm fine." And she finally distanced herself from him. She knelt on one knee upon moving away.

"Thank goodness." From the way Fuji said it, Miyako could tell that he was indeed relieved to know she was okay. She was touched by the fact that he was actually concerned about her.

And that was when she remembered. She looked around the area, then behind her, only to see a large flower pot broken along with one other—shards of glass, specifically mirror. She frowned at the sight before looking up, making her eyes narrow upon spotting something that looked like a silhouette.

_What is that? Is that the person who tried to hurt me?_ Then she faced Fuji who was now standing up and dusting off his uniform. _And to think Fuji-san spotted that person who was about to hurt me..._ She saw him approach her and offered his hand to her. She eyed him questioningly.

"Whether you push me away or not, I'll still help you. Or at least I want to put it that way," Fuji said as he gestured at his hand.

She knew what he was indicating which made her sigh. This guy surely didn't know the word "give up", did he? "Why can't you be more specific that you just want to have a reason to disturb me for as long as you want?"

"Just why on earth would I do such a thing?" he asked back in an innocent tone. But she knew better.

Or at least, she felt she knew better.

Though she had the urge to roll her eyes, she didn't do it. Instead, she quietly took his hand and he helped her stand up. She almost wanted to take her hand from his hold at the instant her skin touched his. Unnamed sensation—similar to that of a jolt of electricity—rushed through her veins as soon as it happened. But soon after, that sensation was changed with a sudden jolt of pain coming from below. To be more specific, from her foot.

She was forced to let go of his hand. But it seemed Fuji didn't want to. She only noticed that after crouching down once more and let her other hand touch her injured foot.

"You're hurt. Come on, let me take you to the infirmary," Fuji said without even letting her have the chance to disagree.

To her sheer surprise, he scooped her up and carried her bridal style that made her squeal a bit and blush.

"What are you doing?!"

"What do you think I'm doing?" he asked back in a rather amused tone.

One of these days, she really wanted to punch this guy for being too smart. Of all the things she hated the most, it was when this annoying blue-eyed tensai would outsmart her—whether intentional or not.

"Do you really want me to smack my bag to your head before you seriously answer my question? And will you please put me down? I can walk on my own, you know," she pointed out which only earned her an amused laugh from Fuji.

"Forgive me, Your Highness, but that's not possible considering you're currently injured."

"It's not like I'm going to die if I walk on my own despite having an injury," she grumbled as her hand formed a fist. But she froze upon realizing something.

Her eyes traveled to where her hands were actually clinging on to. Her face felt even hotter than how she felt it a while ago when she found herself on top of Fuji. Her hands right now were clinging on to the back of Fuji's neck. How come she didn't know she did such a thing?

Little did she know, Fuji's amused eyes turned soft as he looked at Miyako now blushing furiously upon seeing her realize where her hands had actually traveled to when he carried her. "I just want to make sure you're okay. You still have your club's Ranking Tournaments tomorrow, right? This is one way for you not to pressure your right foot any further."

All Miyako did was to look at Fuji since her mind somehow stopped functioning after she heard that. His voice had hints of concern and worries for her situation.

_You have no idea that you're making this hard for me, Fuji-san..._

"I need to take you to the infirmary, okay?" Fuji informed before he started walking away from that place.

She sighed heavily that made the tensai look at her. But he didn't stop walking. To his surprise, Miyako was lighter than he thought she was. And carrying her like that was one of those "perfect" moments he could think of whenever he was with this lemon-haired girl.

"Will you please stop?" Her voice was soft but she said if firm.

He did as she asked but not after he eyed her with slight confusion and surprise.

"Just take me home. I don't want to have another visit at the infirmary for the second time of the day," she explained before Fuji could even start asking for the reason for her to order him to stop. "My brother's at home right now. I'll just explain things to him."

"Are you sure? I told you, don't force yourself."

And with that, she faced him. "Then do you still have enough strength in you to carry me all the way to my house? If you're really that insistent of telling me not to force myself, then better suggest something that will make me follow what you want."

But after long moments of unfazed look that they gave to each other, Fuji didn't say anything. Instead, he resumed his walking with Miyako still on his arms. This had made her sigh. It looked like he was persistent about not forcing herself. Though to her confusion, they stopped on the steps at the entrance of the main building. He put her down and let her sit on it.

"Will it be okay for you if we stay here for a bit? I need to rest my arms so that I could carry you all the way to your house," he casually said which caused her eyes to open wide.

Was he really serious? Did he really take what she said seriously? He wasn't out of his mind, was he?

"By the way, you live in the 5th district, right?"

She nodded since she had no idea what to say yet at that time.

"Is it at an apartment building?"

"No. Our house is actually a chateau with an English touch to its structure. My mother specifically requested to have it built that way when my older brother was only 5 years old."

"I didn't know about that." It was the truth, but Miyako appeared not to believe in it. He just let it be, though. "It seems to me your mother liked living in a chateau as a house, with specifics that it has to be a house with an English touch at that, though I guess I could imagine how it actually looked like."

"My mother is British, that's why," she said without hesitation as she continued looking at the setting sun. It was a beautiful sight—which, of course, gave her that melancholic feeling once again. A feeling that she knew would about to make her cry.

She shut her eyes tight as to not allow her tears to fall. She wasn't going to cry in front of Fuji. Even though it would definitely take a lot of will power to do so, she should not cry in front of him at all. She couldn't afford to appear weak to this guy.

But she was clueless to the fact that Fuji had already seen that part of her while they were in the infirmary. Only this time, he chose not to mention anything about it to her.

"You don't look like half-Japanese, though. Your features are dominantly Asian, if you ask me," he commented with a smile. But then he realized that Miyako wasn't actually paying attention to him.

Her gaze was still fixated to the setting sun. Her eyes were blank as she continued to look at it. But somehow, he felt like he knew better.

"Ne, Fuji-san…" Miyako started, almost in a whisper. Fuji's attention to her remained unfazed. "Have you ever made one big mistake in your life that you truly wish you could go back in time in order to fix it? Have you ever made that kind of mistake enough to haunt you for a long time and let you live in guilt and regret?"

Those questions had indeed caught Fuji's full attention. Her voice was cracking that he had never heard from her before. Unmistakable pain and regret were heard from it, as well. This was the first time something like this had happened. Her eyes eyed the world blankly, coldly. But at that point, it was her voice that betrayed her, though he was aware that Miyako hadn't realized it yet.

Her tough and reserved exterior was just a front. If one didn't know her quite well, it would lead to an assumption that it wasn't a front at all but a part of her personality. No one would be able to tell that inside, she was truly fragile. Little by little, Fuji could finally tell that she was indeed crumbling down. A painful memory—caused by what he could tell as an irreversible mistake—had turned her like this.

The sunset, the song—they were just her outlet to freely show who she really was inside. And only a few could see it.

One of those few individuals was Fuji. But weird enough, he wasn't proud of that fact. Despite being a tensai, Miyako's vulnerability was something he had no idea on how to deal with it. She was still a mystery to him.

And that was when an idea struck him.

There might be a way. If he asked _that person_, maybe he could think of a way to deal with his predicament concerning Miyako. He just needed to convince that person to tell him the truth.

A triumphant smile carved his lips as soon as he thought of that.

"Shall we go?" he offered as he put his tennis bag to the ground and crouched down, his back facing Miyako. He gestured to his back before his eyes landed on her. "We still have a long way to go. Besides, I need to take you home as soon as possible get into your wound."

Of course, what he said had definitely come as a surprise to Miyako. It took her a few moments before she finally recovered her wits enough to react to that.

"Are you insane?! You're really going to carry me on your back all the way to my house?"

Fuji nodded with that ever-present smile on his face. She had the urge to punch this guy right there and then.

"It's not that bad of an idea. Besides, you said it yourself. I have to make sure you don't force yourself too much," he reasoned casually.

At that point, she just allowed herself to sigh out of exasperation. And to think he really took what she said seriously… But this was Fuji Syuusuke, Seigaku's tensai. There must be something running in his mind for him to take it seriously. And why would this guy ever give her this much attention, anyway?

Obviously, he had a plan. But what could it be?

"Do you really want to sit here and watch the sunset? Or do you want that wound of yours to get cleaned by your brother?"

She just shot a glare at him. He didn't care about it, though, as he continued to smile. He wasn't showing any outward signs of being bothered by it at all.

"Are you sure you're still going to carry me on your back when you're about to leave your tennis bag if you do so?" she asked, still with that glare but in a way, it was starting to turn into a soft gaze.

Fuji noticed that, of course. He would tell she had been a bit hesitant to know if he was really serious about his offer. And really serious he was.

"Don't worry about it. Tezuka will surely know what to do with it. Besides, he knew I'll be coming after you," he said casually and confidently. If he were to recall about Tezuka's question earlier, it wouldn't take even a full minute for his stoic friend to guess what happened. "If you're still worried about your weight, you don't have to worry about anything. To be honest, you're surprisingly light. I can carry you all the way to your house."

Left with no choice and with her foot still hurting, she complied to what Fuji wanted. She couldn't afford to have her parents worry when they would see her wound. It would be fine to worry her brother since he was practically used to it. She just wasn't sure how Mamoru would react once he saw her with a guy.

And carry her was what Fuji did.

"What about my tennis bag?"

Fuji turned around to face her. "You can leave it along with my tennis bag. Tezuka and probably Shinjou-san will know what to do next."

-x-x-

And it turned out, Fuji was right.

Tezuka found the tensai's tennis bag lying on the staircase of the building's entrance along with Miyako's. It seemed that Fuji's mail to his phone wasn't a fluke. Judging from the broken flower pot and shards of glass near the building that he spotted earlier and a few blood pools (about 2-3 inches in diameter) near it, something happened after Fuji left the rest of them outside the girls' locker room.

He had the urge to laugh at this out of amusement and slight disbelief for his tensai friend's ability to sense danger. But he showed no outward signs of it. Before he could approach the entrance to take the two tennis bags, Kana came towards them panting.

"How did it go?" he inquired almost immediately.

It took Kana a few seconds for her to even out her breath. Tezuka waited patiently and then he saw her took a deep breath.

"You're right. Someone did drop the mirror and the flower pot from the third floor window near the stairs—on purpose. No signs of being hesitant or at least distracted to do the deed at all. It was done on the spot," kana stated seriously which caused the others to be surprised.

"You went inside the building?"

"Through the back entrance, yes. After listening to the conversation between Kazu-chan and Tezuka-san, including the state of the broken pot and shattered mirror, I went to the building as fast as I could. The only guess I had is that either Miya-chan or Fuji-san are hurt right now."

Oishi then faced Tezuka who was still stoic. As if his expression was expected to change. "Tezuka, why didn't you tell us?"

"Fuji doesn't want any of us to be involved," were Tezuka's answer as he proceeded to take Fuji's tennis bag. As he did so, however, he remembered the mail that the tensai had sent to his cellphone.

Tezuka, can you take me tennis bag home? I need to make sure Yumemiya-san is alright. Someone's trying to hurt her. I have to assure her safe arrival to her house. It might take a while and I have something else to lift. I can't bring both my bag and this "something else" at the same time. I owe you one. Thanks.

His silence as he read the message, however, only caused Kazumi to feel worried for him. His conversation with his girlfriend somehow caught Kazumi's attention, followed by spotting broken flower pot and shards of glass on the ground to the side of the building. That and the blood pool—which he had no idea who could it possibly belong to—made him fully understand Fuji's message.

Tezuka took Fuji's tennis bag and carried it. While Kana took Miyako's tennis bag and offered to take it to the Yumemiya estate.

"Shinjou-san."

Kana faced Tezuka with a casual expression. "Is there a problem?"

"Yudan sezu ni ikou. (Don't let your guard down.)"

It was his usual catchphrase. But this time, Kana could tell it had a double meaning to it. She smiled a reassuring smile to him before she went ahead of the others.

"Kazu-chan, please buy my favorite grip tape. I'll pay the expenses tomorrow," Kana reminded without looking back. But her grip on Miyako's tennis bag tightened that Eiji somehow managed to see.

It confused the red head acrobat, though. Not to mention, it scared him a bit, as well. "Nya! Shinjou-san looked like she was about to kill someone."

"I don't know about this but something tells me Kana-chan had an idea on who could have possibly dropped that flower pot and the mirror from the building," Kazumi murmured that Tezuka heard.

He said nothing. But he, too, felt the same way. Kana knew something that they don't.

The question was: What could it be? What in the world had Fuji and Miyako got them into?

-x-x-

The answer to Tezuka's question was something that Fuji wanted to acquire from someone who probably knew Miyako more than anyone. That was what the tensai thought as he continued to carry Miyako on his back. As they continued to walk down the route to the Yumemiya residence, it was weird that he didn't feel tired from carrying Miyako.

And from what it appeared, Miyako somehow enjoyed the company no matter how weird the set-up might have been. Or at least, that was what Fuji thought. Miyako was the one who kept him entertained. All the while, he thought that she somewhat hated his guts…

Okay, he thought she hated him. Period.

"I never thought you're the talkative type," he commented all of a sudden.

Miyako stopped talking almost abruptly after that which almost made him regret he even made such a comment. Well, _almost_ was definitely the right word.

"I just don't want to think about what happened back there," she said after a few moments of silence. "My brother's a really good listener so I could really tell him everything that I have in mind. My happiness, sadness, guilt, fears, pain… regret… future plans…"

"You made it seem like Shinjou-san and the others aren't such good listeners."

She shook her head gently. "I couldn't bother them with it. Most of all, I don't want to worry them. They already have their own sets of worries and problems to deal with. I don't want to add myself to the piles of it." After that, she chuckled. But Fuji frowned upon sensing the bitterness and sadness in it.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing. To be honest, I was just surprised… that I'm telling all of this to you."

"And you don't like that?" He had no idea where in the world did he get the guts to ask that. Or maybe it just came out of his mouth before he could even stop himself from doing so.

But the answer he wanted to hear didn't come. At the same time, he felt his shoulder starting to get wet. He stopped walking. He then turned to face her at least just for a bit. And there it was again. The twisting pain as if his heart was grabbed tightly, stretched it, and tied it to a complicated knot.

"Miyako…" he could only murmur as he watched her did it again.

Though this time, it was different. She was awake.

That's right… She was crying again. He knew it because her shoulders were shaking and she kept on wiping her tears that would further cause his uniform to get wet if they fell.

"I'm sorry… I really don't want you to know this part of me…" she said in between tears with her looking down. "But I guess I can't help it." _The only person that had ever made me show my weakness, my weak self, was you, Fuji-san. Besides __**him**__, you're the one stranger who could make me show it like this,_ she added in her thoughts but no desire was there in her to say it out loud.

It was enough that she had bothered to save him from that impending danger where he could've just her alone. She couldn't afford to let him get involved with her much longer. She didn't want him to end up the same way like someone from her past.

Fuji smiled as he resumed his walk along with the girl he was carrying. "Well, at least I know you don't really hate me…"

Miyako heard that, of course. Hate him? Why would she even hate him? Yes, she was avoiding him. But then it appeared that her actions from which she thought was just to avoid him turned out to have a different meaning to the blue-eyed tensai.

_Hating you was probably the most impossible thing for me to do now… Besides, how could I even hate someone whom I've loved from the start even though you don't know it, even though I tried my hardest not to in order to save you while I can still do so?_

If only she could say it to him face to face…

-x-x-

Reaching the Yumemiya residence turned out to be a bit of a hard task for Fuji with the slopes of the road going there and all. But he didn't have those mountain training with the Seigaku regulars before for nothing. Besides, the girl he was carrying gave him all the strength he needed, even though he insisted on carrying her despite her protest.

While traversing the slope going to the residence, he asked her to do one thing to keep his thought away from thinking about the long and hard route to the residence.

He asked her to sing.

Much to his joy, she complied. Miyako even asked him what song he wanted her to sing. Of course, it had to be something she was familiar with. For a short while, he carefully thought about it. He was about to ask her to sing "Kimi Ni Todoke (Reaching You/To Reach You)" by May's, which was the song he first heard her sang before, but decided not to.

Instead, he answered, "A song that you deem as a reflection of your emotions. A song which would reflect something from your past that made you who you are today. A special song which would explain your sadness."

He expected a surprised—or maybe even shocked—reaction from Miyako upon saying that. But it didn't come at all. For a few moments, she remained impassive. As each moments passed by, he was starting to see it.

The unexplainable sadness…

The pain and guilt which contorted that angelic feature of hers…

The tears that sparkled on the brim of her silver eyes, bound to fall any second…

At that point, he thought she wouldn't heed his request. He could think of other songs, of course. But then he didn't even know what came over him to say that. He was about to say it out loud when—

_I see you beside me_

_It's only a dream_

_Pictures of what used to be_

_The laughter, the sorrow_

_Pictures in time_

_Fade into memory_

The melancholy hidden in her voice resonated around them as he continued to listen to her singing while he continued to walk. Perhaps she didn't mind having him listen to that hidden emotion at all. For a long time, she had never expressed herself to anyone freely such as this moment she had with Fuji. With him listening to that song, it was more than enough for her.

She knew at that point that he was intrigued with her. But she decided to just let him be. He would never find a thing about her, anyway. She thought she could remain as an enigma—one that he'd never be able to solve no matter how hard he tried.

Apparently, she was wrong.

In fact, she knew she was wrong from the start.

_How could I ever let you go?_

_Is it too late to let you know?_

_I tried to run from your side_

_But each place I hide_

_It only reminds me of you_

_When I turn out all the lights_

_Even the nights_

_It only reminds me of you_

It looked like what he had anticipated to happen actually… happened. Despite the twisting feeling inside his chest at the glimpse of it, as he felt it while listening to her singing, he was glad. He could see through her again…

…just like the first time he managed to do so.

Any song could really destroy the barrier that she surrounded around herself, huh? It was the thought that made him feel it was even more hopeless to reach her. She didn't have to sing all the time for him to get to know her more. He has to think of another way to deal with that barrier of hers.

_I needed my freedom_

_That's what I thought_

_But I was a fool to believe_

_The heart lies while you cry_

_Rivers of tears_

_But I was too blind to see_

_Everything we've been through before_

_Now it means so much more_

Weird for Fuji, he couldn't help but to smile the best smile he could muster. But if Tezuka could see him now, his stoic friend could easily tell that it was a fake one. That smile he mustered was tinged with bitterness and pity for what he thought was Miyako's life before that made her cold and impassive—at least to him—like this.

From the song alone, he could tell. Miyako was living in pain for who knows how long. She lost someone—probably a lover (which made him feel a pang in his chest at this point)—and until now, memories of it reminded her a lot. Those memories were enough to cause her to feel so many emotions. That loss was probably too much for her that it made her feel guilty over it after it all happened.

Now here was the question.

Who could be that person that she had lost?

How did she lose that person?

How long had it been since it happened?

What could have been the relationship that Miyako had with that person?

_I've tried to run from your side_

_But each place I hide_

_It only reminds me of you_

_When I turn out all the lights_

_Even the nights_

_It only reminds me of you_

He sighed at all that.

How come he had so many questions about this mysterious person that Miyako was referring to in the song? Why did he even have such desire to discover the answers to those questions? He wanted to know them so much as if his life depended on it.

_Or maybe your heart was actually the one that depends on whatever answers you seek for…_ a part of his mind corrected that made him chuckle inwardly. It could be a plausible reason.

Probably even the perfect reason of all to answer those questions.

_So come back to me_

_I'm down on my knees_

_Oh, can't you see?_

_How could I ever let you go?_

_Is it too late to let you know?_

_I've tried to run from your side_

_But each place I hide_

_It only reminds me of you_

_When I turn out all the lights_

_Even the nights_

_It only reminds me of you_

His heart… It was actually his heart that desired to know the reason for those sad eyes, reserved personality and melancholic voice. He wanted to know more about her. Not just through the songs but also through the help of something else. But would he be able to find a way?

Miyako was doing her best to avoid him—which he realized that it actually failed in the end. Now that he knew someone wanted to hurt her badly, he had to be with her most of the time.

But that was where the problem lies. Their schedules—in class, in club activities and the like—didn't actually meet. And if ever it did, she was the one who stayed away from him. How long would he let her do that?

_It only reminds me of you_

Apparently, unbeknownst to him, not long enough.

-x-x-

"We're here"

Fuji looked up to see where they were at the moment. The nameplate on the front gate was indeed engraved as Yumemiya. But somehow, he wanted to disagree with Miyako when she said earlier that her house was an English house similar to that of a country house—or as she stated it, a chateau with a touch of something similar to those structures of the English country houses. The Yumemiya state was literally… a estate. A large mansion. Probably triple or quadruple the area to that of Atobe's.

Weird… He never knew her to be this rich.

"Don't be too surprised," she said that snapped him out of his musings. "My mother used to do expansions to this house every year. She just stopped doing so about two years ago when she finally realized that this house could accommodate even her grandchildren in the future. Not unless I decided to become a nun if I felt like it."

He couldn't help chuckling at her words. This was the side of Miyako that he had never seen before. This was another side of her that even the songs could not unravel that easily.

"We better get in. Can you please step closer to the intercom of the gate so that I can press the buzzer and notify our presence? The guards will open the gate using the button in the guardhouse."

He did what she had asked. She pressed the buzzer and afterwards, the intercom sounded.

"Who's there?"

Fuji decided to put Miyako down for a while in order for her to talk to the guard who responded in the intercom. "It's me, Miyako. I brought a friend along. Is Onii-chan there?"

"Yes. Mamoru-bocchama arrived about thirty minutes ago, Miyako-ojousama. I'll open the door immediately."

And about five seconds later, the large gate leading to the state opened automatically. Though Fuji really wanted to admire the entire state, he couldn't do so at the moment. He had to worry about Miyako who was obviously enduring the pain from her wound. They made a stop to a park near Seishun Gakuen earlier and took it as an opportunity to at least stop the bleeding of the wound using his handkerchief. Miyako didn't say anything about it the whole time. She just let him do it.

For a while, during the time he was traversing the route going to the estate, he thought that the bleeding had indeed stopped despite how deep it appeared. But then he realized he was wrong when he noticed the discoloration on the handkerchief that he wrapped on Miyako's wound. It was getting larger and larger. He noticed it when he put her down while they were at the front gate.

He couldn't help feeling worried, of course. But he decided not to show it to her. They already reached the estate, so that means she would be fine.

It didn't take him long to finally reached the entrance. But before he could even knock at the door, the door opened almost immediately. It made him a bit surprised, he had to admit that. The opened door soon revealed a princely-looking man—whom Fuji could tell was a few years older than him—with golden hair and silver eyes. The worry on that man's face was evident, as well as the surprise he felt as soon as he saw the tensai.

"Wow, Mi-chan! I never thought you'd really bring a boyfriend at this time of the year," the man said with a smirk.

Miyako blushed at the remark despite the slight fury she felt. In a way, Fuji could actually tell that she was fuming in anger.

"Onii-chan, will you please quit with the joke already and let Fuji-san enter the house so he could put me down? He's been carrying me from school all the way here and he's surely tired now."

Miyako's brother remained impassive even after she said that. But he further opened the door and ushered them to enter. The man led them to a wide living room with grand chandeliers, decorations and all in one of the rooms there. But the tensai paid no mind about the grandness of the house. Fuji soon put Miyako down on a single-seater sofa.

"Your name's Fuji, isn't it?" MIyako's brother asked as soon as Fuji put the girl down. The tensai nodded. "First name or last name?"

"Last name."

"I see…" The man approached him and extended his one hand in front of the tensai. "Nice to meet you. I'm Yumemiya Mamoru, Mi-chan's older brother. Ah, scratch that. I'm actually her only sibling."

Fuji took Mamoru's hand and they shook hands. "Fuji Syuusuke, Miya—err, I mean—Yumemiya-san's schoolmate."

That mistake didn't go unnoticed to the golden-haired man, t hough.

"By the way, what made you bring my sister all the way here? Is it true that you only carried her on your back from the school all the way to our estate?"

A nod was his only answer to that and gave a knowing glance to Miyako's wounded left foot. "Someone tried to hurt her a while back. I only saw the silhouette of the culprit but I can tell the estimated height and body built of the person who did this to her."

"And after that, you decided to carry her on your back?" Mamoru faced Miyako after that. "Mi-chan, since when did you become a slave driver?"

Miyako pouted and threw a cushion straight to Mamoru's face. "I am not!" Mamoru caught it and playfully stuck his tongue out before laughing. "And besides, I never asked him to carry me all the way here. He's just so persistent that it gets on my nerves."

"Hmm… That's not how it looks to me," Mamoru teased. Then he faced Fuji once more. "But whatever it is that you used to convince my sister to have it your way, I guess I have to thank you for that."

Though before the tensai could even say anything about that, Mamoru called out one of the maids and asked to bring the medicine kit along with a small towel and warm water. Despite Miyako's protest, Fuji decided to help Mamoru in cleaning disinfecting the wound. And he was right all along. Her wound was indeed deep. No wonder it bled out so much.

After that, Mamoru ordered his sister to rest for a while just until she was called out for dinner. Knowing Mamoru wouldn't take no for an answer and that she was tired from all the commotion all the same, Miyako obliged to do it. But before she left the living room, she faced Fuji and smiled gently and gratefully. Of course, it caught Fuji off-guard but just for a short while.

"Is there something wrong?" was his question to the lemon-haired girl.

She just shook her head gently. "Nothing. It's just that… I haven't properly thanked you yet. So… thank you." And then she left, just like that.

But she didn't know at all that she had left Fuji with her brother quite dumbfounded. Even Mamoru was dumbstruck with his sister's words but managed to recover faster than Fuji.

"Well, that was the first," Mamoru commented with a smile, though it was a sad one that the blue-eyed tensai noticed after recovering.

"What do you mean by that?"

"That was the first time after more than a year… that she smiled like that, especially to someone other than to me and her friends."

Of course, those words were puzzling enough despite being said in an understandable language for Fuji to frown at it. He knew there was more to his words.

"Would you like to stay here for dinner? It's just to thank you for what you did to my sister earlier," Mamoru offered afterwards.

"If it wouldn't cause any disturbance to your family time, then I'd be honored. It's not every day that I got to be invited by someone for dinner such as you, Yumemiya-san," he said politely and gladly. But that gladness didn't last long.

"But before that, and while we wait for it to be prepared, why don't you tell me about what happened earlier? How exactly did she get hurt like that?"

It didn't even take long for Fuji to decide whether or not he would tell the truth to Mamoru. After all, hadn't Miyako mentioned it before? Mamoru was the only person who really listened to all her rants and frustrations. There were a few things or so that only Mamoru knew about Miyako. Her parents didn't know those few things. And the danger that she went through earlier was something that her brother should know.

Fuji told the truth. Everything from what he had spotted just before the flower pot and the mirror fell from the third floor until the point where he almost saw the culprit's face even from his lying position below the building. He didn't dare leave out any details about what he had observed. And from there, he knew that Mamoru already figured out who the culprit was. He made that assumption upon seeing the man's facial expression.

"Did Mi-chan mention anything to you? Anything at all… that made her sad like this?" Mamoru asked seriously after a few moments of contemplation.

The tensai didn't say anything for a while. He gave the question a careful thought. He tried his best to remember his encounter with Miyako—no matter how few they had all occurred—which might provide an answer that he was looking for. But only one or two possibilities came out. He recalled the conversation he and Miyako had together.

"She asked me a question a while back… while we were at the school. She was watching the sunset back then. She asked me if I have ever made one big mistake that could make me wish to go back in time to fix it. From what I could tell, she wanted to know if that mistake made me feel guilty and regretful as time goes by," Fuji answered.

"That means you're special—at least to Mi-chan," Mamoru said seriously and meaningfully.

"I-I don't understand." And Fuji wasn't lying.

Mamoru then faced him. The tensed air started hovering around them as he waited for the golden-haired man to answer. Soon after, they sat on the sofa. But not after Mamoru took out something from one of the drawers of a mahogany cabinet (which was about half the height of Mamoru) placed on one corner of that room. He showed it to Fuji—which turned out to be a picture frame.

But what he had seen in that frame was something that made him fee like a knot in his heart was pulled and tightened. He wanted to say that it was a dream… a nightmare, perhaps. Then one morning, he would just wake up and everything would return to normal. However, the weird feeling he could say was akin to jealousy never left him at all. Not only that, the pain and hopelessness began to intensify—

—especially when he heard Mamoru said something that made him feel as if he had lost big time.

"That person was the reason for all the guilt and regret that my sister had felt all this time…"

-x-x-

**I just noticed something. Is it me or am I really torturing Fuji here for some reasons? I don't know. I guess I just thought about that. Another that I noticed was that I was having a hard time bringing out Fuji's sadistic side on this story. I can't fit them in any way here at all. That's why I'm struggling a bit about this story. So I guess it's coming out as a little bit dramatic for Fuji.**

**Anyway, thank you for reading this story. Please review! Reviews are deeply appreciated. Flames that have nothing to do with how to improve this story and my writing style will forever be unacceptable. I mean it! :)**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Prince of Tennis and its characters. I only own the OC's of this story.

**Warning:** Characters might not be in their usual selves. In other words, possible OOC

-x-x-

**CHAPTER 5**

Avoiding Fuji seemed to have been erased from Miyako's list-of-things-to-do this year after their conversation that time. It was weird but somehow, she couldn't find it in her to completely avoid him after what he did to save her life and take good care of her. Even though she insisted that she didn't need to be watched over or at least required to be taken care of, Fuji took no heed of it at all. It made her extremely frustrated but in the end, she gave up being so insistent on what she liked or wanted him to do for her.

He kept on doing things that would make her blush, make her heart flutter and an unexplainable warmth would always overwhelm her. Their schedules weren't actually the same at all but somehow, he kept on finding a way to walk her home or at least just a short time to talk to her. Long before she even realized it, she looked forward to those wonderful, heart-warming moments—no matter how short they usually were—with Fuji. It was like her day wouldn't be complete without that creepy tensai (though she just referred him like that as a joke) to give a beautiful meaning to it.

Despite how deep her wound was, Miyako still managed to participate in the Ranking Tournaments of the Girls' Tennis Club. Luckily, she didn't exert too much when having those matches. But to their coach and to the tennis captain, Miyako's tennis skills were something to be reckoned with. Same goes to Kana, Hanako, Aika, and Kazumi. And it didn't come as a surprise to them that the five of them landed a spot on the regulars. Out of 8 available positions, Miyako and her friends landed on the first 5 spots. Two second years landed on the 6th and 7th spots and just one third year ended on the last spot.

A lot of the competitors complained with the results. But then, they just got a pretty good lecture and scolding from Coach Nakayama about not taking tennis as a sport seriously and underestimating the skills of the first years. None of the members were able to voice out complains and whining after that. Coach Nakayama's reprimands were something that was not to be taken lightly, after all.

Right after the results were out, Fuji was the first person who knew that Miyako had finally landed on one of the available regulars' spot. Of course, Fuji was happy to know that and all. But he was even happier when she agreed to have a date with him one Sunday. He used the reason of celebrating the fact that she was already a regular even though she was only in first year.

And that date was later followed by another one. But Fuji didn't state it as a date, of course. Miyako would kill him if he stated it as that. Not only that, he knew it was impossible for something special to actually happen with their current situation. The truth about Miyako's past was still deeply seared in his brain. Even the pain he felt upon knowing all that was still engraved in his heart.

At that moment, he had never felt so hopeless. He really knew he had lost long before the battle was decided. At first, he didn't know that, of course. But those two weeks made him feel all that. He wanted to do his best to be with Miyako. But it was always her silver eyes that kept on telling him one thing. His efforts were worthless, so what else was left there for him to continue and fight? Yes, he could've given up after learning a certain part of Miyako's past from Mamoru. But the golden-haired man gave him an ultimatum.

It was an ultimatum that would hopefully change everything about Miyako once and for all. It was that ultimatum that gave him reason why he was still doing his best despite his incredibly low chances to win. He was striving hard because he knew it was the right thing to do. In a way, he wanted to achieve something.

But could he really achieve _that something_ at the end of all his efforts?

-x-x-

Well, Fuji wasn't sure about that at all. He wanted badly to know the answer but it felt like he wasn't the time for that yet. Somehow, he could feel that he still has time. One day, he would find the answer.

In the meantime, it was that time again.

Fuji entered the classroom and as usual, greeted almost everyone with his ever-present smile. Eiji was especially excited that one particular morning for some reason. It wasn't someone's birthday, he was sure of that. Though before he could even ask Eiji about it, he heard the girls' idle conversations since the class hadn't started yet.

"Have you bought Aino Nadeshiko-san's new novel?"

"Really? She has another one released?"

"The novel came out yesterday. From how I see it, I think it's going to be another hit."

"I wonder where she got her inspirations to write such beautiful stories. The way she describes the scenes suggested that she had experienced all of them first hand."

"Or maybe she was there when it all happened."

"I think she's even studying at our school."

"What made you say that? There are only a few people here in our school who could write such a beautiful story."

"Because of the note on the author's page."

Fuji smiled as he heard that. Come to think of it, it had been a little over two months since Aino Nadeshiko's last novel release. And even though the publishing company had already released 8 of her novels (make it 9 if you include this newly-released novel that the girls were talking about), she had yet to make an appearance to the public. For over two years, no one knew who Aino Nadeshiko really was.

And even though he already had a few guesses on who might that be, he couldn't even pay attention to anything that could confirm his guesses. His attention was fixated on Miyako and his self-proclaimed duty to protect her, after all.

"The note on the author's page?"

"Yes. Didn't you see it?"

"I read it. I was surprised that the note was actually dedicated to Fuji-san."

Fuji frowned. Dedicated to him? Were those girls even joking or at least playing on him?

_Maybe I'll buy that novel later after practice…_ he thought before he changed his focus from listening to the conversation of those girls to knowing what made Eiji especially excited. Well, that had really got him into thinking.

Oh, wait! Now that he remembered it, he was supposed to take Miyako on a movie date by tomorrow night. They agreed to watch a certain movie to lighten her mood, as she stated it. Though he had no idea what it actually meant, he just let it be.

Maybe he would know the answer soon.

But little did he know, that "soon" came a bit fast than what he had expected. Worst, it was during their movie night.

It was that night, finally. The usual, his sister asked about it rather excitedly that all Fuji could do was to smile at it. Yumiko hadn't met Miyako yet but the elder Fuji had seen the latter in all the photos of the lemon-haired girl that he took. And since Yumiko was someone who was quite obsessed with beauties, it didn't come as a surprise that she kept on bugging him about it. Not to mention, his sister was especially concerned about his progress.

If only Yumiko knew, there wasn't a chance for him to have a progress at all. No matter how much he loved the challenge, if Miyako chose to shield her heart and isolate it eternally because of what happened to her in the past, then it would all be worthless. Or maybe impossible would have described it perfectly.

He went to their meeting place—which was at the entrance of the mall where their chosen cinema was located—30 minutes before the decided time. He wanted to be early in order to make sure. Weird, but the thought of having a movie date with Miyako made him excited—albeit he did so inwardly.

Fifteen minutes later, Miyako arrived to their meeting place panting. It appeared that she had been running pretty hard, it seemed.

Miyako bent over and rested her hands on her knees while trying to even out her breath. She had no idea why she decided to run from the park to reach the mall. But then she thought it was for the best. Running did help her in some way, especially with clearing her thoughts and letting her reach a certain decision. She did so after learning a certain truth from her brother Mamoru, just before she left her house…

_**Flashback…**_

"_You told him? All about Kaito? Onii-san, have you gone insane?" Miyako exclaimed distraughtly. All of a sudden, she felt so weak as if her strength had been drained from her at a fast rate._

_Mamoru could only sigh. He expected that reaction from his sister. But he knew he just did the right thing. Not only for Miyako's sake but also for Fuji's, as well. That boy, as far as Mamoru could tell, deserved to know the truth. From what he could interpret about the way Miyako treated Fuji, he knew one thing. Miyako was trying to protect Fuji—at the expense of her own emotions, her true feelings for the said boy. Mamoru wasn't Miyako's older brother for nothing if he couldn't tell something as obvious as that—at least to him._

"_Mi-chan, you can't hide the truth from him forever. If you really wanted to protect him, then don't forsake your happiness for this. One way or another, something else will act as a trigger for him to know what he deserved to know," Mamoru stated coolly despite knowing that his sister would not be able to rest well because of this._

"_But not this soon. I don't care if I'm forsaking everything which could make me happy by doing this, by treating him like this. I just need to protect him… I don't want him to end up like Kaito in the end."_

"_Do you really think you're doing the best way to protect Fuji-kun? Do you think that by treating him like this, by treating him like he doesn't even exist or that you hated him, you could prevent the past from repeating itself?"_

_Miyako faced her brother rashly with that piercing gaze of hers. But Mamoru didn't even flinch. "Oh, you think so? So you're saying that I should let things happen? You're telling me that all my effort to prevent Fuji-san from suffering the same fate as Kaito will be for nothing at the end of all this? Then for what reason am I forsaking everything like this? What reason am I preventing myself to be happy? I just… I just don't want to lose him that way, Onii-san…" she said with each sentence she uttered starting to come out soft._

_Before she could even help it, her tears started to fall. Feeling too weak after knowing all of that, she collapsed to her knees on the carpeted floor of the living room._

"_You love him… don't you?" was Mamoru's question, though it was more of a statement in her opinion._

_She chose not to say anything. There was no use, anyway. Her brother truly knew her. He could read her like an open book, which was okay with her. Mamoru wasn't a worrywart, unlike her parents. That was why she could only mention most of her happy moments and very few of her problems to them. It was her brother who did his best to absorb or at least destroy her resentment—all of which had something to do with the time she lost Kaito and how she suffered because of it. But Mamoru shouldn't have decided something as crucial as telling Fuji about her past with Kaito. Now she felt that everything would start to get hard for her._

_There might be some inevitable events that she couldn't be able to prevent after all this. But she could never leave things be. For heaven's sake, she had been doing her best to not let Fuji get involve with her at all. And yet, it failed in the end._

_Mamoru knelt down on one knee and placed his hand on the top of her head. That action made her look up to face him._

"_Onii-san…?"_

"_You don't have to fight it anymore if you feel you're tired, Mi-chan," he said with a gentle and reassuring smile. "One of the few things you can never control is your heart—your emotions. More than a year of suffering is enough. I want you to be happy. And from what I can see, Fuji-kun could give you your happiness. Don't deprive yourself of something that can make you go back to your true self. I don't want to see those sad eyes anymore."_

_How she wanted to scoff and disagree with some of her brother's words. "How sure are you that Fuji-san can give me my happiness? Besides, can he really give me something I chose to neglect such as that?"_

"_Why don't you try to do something for you to know the answer to that?"_

_She frowned; tears had stopped falling as she eyed Mamoru in confusion. "What do you mean?"_

"_Release it… in front of him. He already knew the truth but he's not saying anything about it to you, right?"_

_She nodded once._

"_That's because Fuji-kun want to know everything from you. Or at least, he wanted to hear your side of the story. If you do that, I'm sure you'll be alright. Forget about your tears. Take this risk if it means finding your true happiness with the one you love. Don't hold it inside for a long time or you might lose this chance forever. Be happy… At least, I want you to do that."_

_But could she really do that? Take a risk? Does she even have the strength to do that… just for her to be happy at long last?_

"_I'll try…" she replied rather weakly. But it was probably enough to reassure Mamoru that there would still be a chance._

_His smile seemed to have mirrored that thought._

_**End of flashback…**_

…and try she would do.

But to be honest, it wasn't that easy. Right now, she was standing in front of Fuji. Though he was just wearing casual clothing, it felt like he was emitting an aura far different from what she had felt before. Somehow, that weird aura slowly dissipated the tension she felt from preparing herself to tell the truth. It had to come from her, after all.

"You're early," she started before she showed a small smile.

But that smile, however, caught Fuji off-guard for a bit. There was something different in her smile, she was sure of that. Only he couldn't point a finger on it. For once, he couldn't predict what was about to happen that one particular night.

"So are you," he replied with that usual smile of his, only this time, with hints of gentleness in it. "You look… beautiful in your outfit, by the way."

Miyako shyly averted his gaze and blushed at those words. Her layered lemon-colored hair was put up in a ponytail using a thick light blue ribbon. She was wearing a lavender dress with purple midriff jacket. To her opinion, her outfit was just a simple one despite being able to afford much more elegant— and technically expensive— clothes. But wasting her parents' and her brother's money over something that wasn't really necessary for her had never crossed her mind. She could only ask for more money when she really needed to have it.

"You don't look bad yourself. But are you sure you're okay?" she asked with hints of concern in her voice.

That again was also new to Fuji. Miyako had never shown such concern to him before. Or if she ever did, maybe she just couldn't show it. Something was holding her back to show it to him.

He smiled at her. "I'm okay." And then he looked at his watch. "We still have 10 more minutes. Do you want to get in now?"

"Sure, but right after we buy some snacks. You see, I haven't had dinner yet," she replied with a sweet yet sheepish smile.

"Would you… um…" Fuji looked away for a bit and scratched the back of his head. Weird… At that point, he couldn't really find the proper word to utter in front of her. He felt that everything seemed a little… different. And it was turning him into someone that wasn't even like him. But he had to ask her. Heaving a sigh inwardly, he faced her again. "After the movie, would you like to have dinner with me?"

Despite asking the question with his smiling face, Miyako could somewhat feel that Fuji was… hopeful. But in a way, she liked it. Things were a little different as soon as she decided to release herself from the chains of pain from her past and for once, try herself to be happy. This was just the start.

"I'm glad you asked me that."

"Huh?" Did Fuji hear it right?

"I know… I'm not exactly acting the way you're used to see from me. Everything I'm doing right now is really surprising."

"I have to agree with that," Fuji said with a chuckle. "But I have to admit, I like you even more this way."

"Eh? Y-you like me this way?"

Fuji had the urge to laugh hard at Miyako's reaction to what he said. But he fought it down in order not to ruin the nice atmosphere they had right now—no matter how slightly tensed it had been a while back. "We better get some snacks so we could go inside. The movie's about to start."

-x-x-

Watching a romantic movie with Fuji was something that had never ever crossed Miyako's mind even when she first met him. From the start, she restricted her mind from conjuring such thoughts. But it appeared that she couldn't control everything. It was fate's fault… or at least that's how it always goes whenever something unexpected happens.

But she couldn't blame it all to fate. After all, she felt that there was a reason for all of this to happen. It was fate that led her to meet someone like Fuji Syuusuke.

Miyako looked up and faced the cinema screen where the movie was still going on. A few moments later, she glanced to her left side. There, she saw Fuji. He was also facing the screen. But his eyes were closed. _Aren't they always?_ A small smile crept on her face. She wasn't sure if Fuji was really enjoying the much as much as she did or not. But knowing he accompanied her to that place was enough for her to be happy.

The film she was currently watching, in her opinion, had some resemblances to what she had experienced in life.

The leading lady in the movie portrayed the role of a woman who once lost the love of her life, the person who happened to have held her world and where it practically revolved around. That lost was too much, giving an open wound to her heart that she felt would never heal at all. Not even time could heal it—or at least she felt it that way. By the stroke of fate, or maybe some other forces beyond her control, a love letter that was left in one of the pews of the church she went to one time led her to meet a man who seemed to have suffered the same way she did. But unlike the woman, that man faced his life positively after finally coming in terms with his love's loss. Their chance meeting allowed a new path to open for the two of them to take.

Despite the struggles and the oppositions they went through upon admitting their love to each other, the two held on to the love they had for each other—as tight as they could. It was what made them strong to face everything heads on. What had been destined from the start will always remain destined—it was that thought that made them able to face their lives bravely with their strong love and trust to each other. They also used it as a weapon to survive such harsh world.

The love letter that had made the couple's paths cross was then buried between the graves of the couple's previous lovers who happened to be former lovers that had been separated by some twist of fate. Not only the man and the woman, but also their respective deceased previous lovers were able to find happiness with each other.

One couple found that happiness in heaven and the other found it on earth.

During the movie, Miyako couldn't help thinking, wondering where in the world would she be able to find happiness. But it would have been better if she found something which actually possessed happiness from both heaven and earth. Maybe a lot like—

"_A heavenly love in a hell-like world…"_ Just like a line from the movie she was just watching.

"You don't find a love like that easily."

As soon as it was spoken, she turned to her side. Fuji was still facing the screen. His face was serious and for a while, it made them a bit tense. But she chose to shrug off the feeling soon after. In fact, she thought that maybe she could go with the flow.

"So you're saying that a love like that is impossible to happen?" she asked softly without looking at him.

"I only said it's not easy. It's hard, yes. But definitely… not impossible…" Fuji answered in a tone so different from what she was used to hear from him. "It's a kind of love that almost everyone would want to feel. And somebody deserves to feel such love at least for one lifetime. One of them is you, Yumemiya-san…"

As soon as he said those words, he faced her once again, only to make her feel she wanted to walk a few steps backwards. But then she couldn't. In other words, she was taken aback. Why? Those blue eyes—shining like a pair of sapphires (or turquoise would have been more accurate than sapphire) –stared back at her, making her feel as if everything around her turned still… motionless… The only ones existed were she and Fuji. How could his gaze whenever he opened his eyes have such effect on her? It was the same question that she kept on asking to herself since the very first time Fuji looked at her and smiled at her.

"Whatever happened to you in the past… Everything that had made you surrounds your heart in ice… I know they happened for a reason."

"How sure are you, Fuji-san? How sure are you that I still have a chance to love someone after all the pain and sadness I've been through? Are you sure I still deserve to have such love after I cursed almost everything because I'm still alive? That… I should've been the one who died that night instead of him?" she asked in a slightly cracked voice—an indication that she was just resisting the urge to cry.

Fuji didn't say anything. He just continued to look at her.

The screen turned black and the movie credits rolled in soon after. The movie ended, most of the audience (majority of them were girls) were either sniffling of had tears staining their cheeks. But Fuji and Miyako remained seated, still staring at each other. When there were only a few people left inside the cinema, that was when he stood up and offered his hand to her. All she did the whole time was to look at him.

"You can tell me everything when you're ready. But before that, it's for the best if we have dinner first. I'm sure that… this night is going to be a long one," Fuji said with a gentle smile on his face. "We need to have the energy to face it."

She took his hand and they went out of the cinema while holding each other's hands… with her fingers entwined to his.

That long night began there and then.

-x-x-

It didn't occur to Miyako that having a dinner date with Fuji would be fun minus the instances where he was doing something to tease her. She was able to talk things to him freely. But she wouldn't deny the fact that she wasn't still used to his concerns to her—most of which were expressed in unannounced gestures. He was opening the door for her, assisting her as she sat to her seat first before he began taking his own seat, among others. Sometimes, his eyes would open for some moments and stared at her before closing them again. She always felt taken aback by it. But she chose to indulge herself to it, even though things really felt different.

After the dinner, Miyako suddenly decided to just walk around for a while. But Fuji knew better. And yes, maybe walking could help them in some way.

They walked together, side by side, despite the slow pace. They did it in silence, as if both of them were contemplating deeply. But it only lasted for more or less 15 minutes.

"Onii-san… had told you, hadn't he?" she started softly, causing Fuji to stop to his tracks. Miyako followed suit after two steps or so. But she didn't dare turn around to look or face Fuji. "About… Kaito…?"

The tensai chose not to say anything. But it only lasted for a few seconds, though, especially since it came to a point that he couldn't bear the silence between them any longer. "That's right…" was how he started it in a soft voice. "I know you'll hate me for knowing something as crucial as that. It's a secret that you deliberately kept even to your friends. I guess… I can understand why you tried hard to keep away from almost everybody. Even to me…"

_Especially to you, Fuji-san… After all, I have to protect you the most, being the only person who can destroy the barrier that I had surrounded to myself a long time ago…_ Miyako wanted to say those words to him but decided not to do so—at least not yet. Instead, she said something different. "Only Kana-chan knew about Kaito since our families had been friends for a long time. It's not a secret that I can easily keep from her. She is my best friend, after all."

"So it's a mutual agreement between you and Shinjou-san not to mention this to anyone else." It was a statement and Miyako nodded as an answer. It was easy to tell.

They resumed their walk until they reached the nearby park. They managed to find a bench near the fountain where the water somewhat sparkled and glistened like flowing crystals. It was because of the lights surrounding the edge of the fountain. And it was night time, as well. The night sky filled with shimmering stars with no clouds in sight, the cold yet calming night breeze, the rustling of the fountain's water as it flowed back and forth… Everything around them was perfect for a date.

Except… this night wasn't just a simple movie date or dinner date with Fuji for Miyako. As soon as she learned from her brother that Fuji already knew the reason for her isolation, she already knew that that particular night would never be a simple one. That one particular night would surely change everything between her and Fuji. She was sure of it.

"Are you… I… What I want to ask is… umm…" Fuji started but couldn't form a complete sentence coherently. Since when did asking a question become so hard for him? But he had to ask it or else they would never get anywhere. He might as well break the tense silence before it choked them both. However—

"I don't hate you, if you're going to ask me that." Miyako beat him to it. "You know, it's really weird that I feel this way. You already know one of my deepest secrets but I couldn't feel something similar or anything close to hate. Until I came to realize, I could never hate you even in a worst case scenario. It's the same way you never hated me despite how I treated you before."

Fuji managed to show a smile after his mind recovered from mild shock. Somehow, the fact that Miyako doesn't hate him and probably would never be was enough to put his mind in frenzy and his heart was pounding in his chest wildly. So it was just like what Kana said to him before.

Miyako doesn't hate him. For now, it was more than enough.

"By the way, I'm sorry about that. I mean, about how I treated you… I can't help feeling bad about that, now that I think of it."

"It's okay."

Long silence passed by them… again. This silence was tensed but in some weird reason, it also felt… comfortable. Or at least that was how it was to Fuji. He waited for her to say something—anything that would help her calm down, one that would help her finally let the pain go.

"Yoshimi Kaito was actually my childhood friend while I was still living in Kanagawa. But more than that, he was also my fiancé. I learned the fact that I was engaged to him when I reached fifth grade. Our parents had already planned this even before I was born. At first, I hated it. But as time passed, I came to accept the arrangement since it didn't actually take me long enough to realize that I love him more than a friend. He was always there for me, ready to listen to me, willing to give me more of his time just to make sure that I was happy. He did a lot for me. Everything he did was all enough for me to fall for him even more. He was the one willing to protect me to many extents. But I realized that letting him protect me would be my biggest mistake…"

Miyako slowly closed her eyes to prevent her tears from her eyes. But it was a futile attempt in the end. A lump formed in her throat, that's why it was hard for her to swallow. Nevertheless, she still tried. It would be hard but she knew it was worth it. Mamoru could already tell that Fuji had already occupied a big part of her life after she left her life back in Kanagawa—her friends, her dreams, and her love. Well, the last two were long dead, anyway.

Her eyes snapped open when she felt someone's hand held hers tightly. Of course, it was no surprise that her heart beat increased its tempo upon feeling warmth she considered lovely from that hand. When she raised her head a bit and looked, her tears incessantly fell when she saw the look on Fuji's face. It was somewhere between understanding and comforting to the best of his abilities, even though she doesn't know that the tensai was actually struggling on the comforting department.

After all, it took him a great deal of effort and time to finally realize the root of Miyako's predicament. All he could do for her right now was to be with her and let her know that whatever had happened in the past was never her fault.

The lemon-haired girl took a deep breath to calm her, but it didn't stop her tears from falling. And then she spoke again. "It wasn't actually a surprise for me to know that my clan was constantly receiving threats from various sources. It all ranges from business-related to property and personal ones. But we constantly managed to escape or at least resolve them once we put our minds to it. However, there were instances as well that escaping such threats were doomed to fail from the start. One of those instances caused Kaito his life… in favor of mine…"

"What exactly happened that night you lost Kaito?" Fuji took all effort in him to ask such question, clearly knowing that doing so would only hurt him. Competing with someone who was long gone was something that he considered foolish and at the same time, hard.

Really hard… especially if he knew that he couldn't easily replace that person in her heart. At this point, there was no way he could do that.

With tears incessantly falling and heart pounding wildly despite the clenching feeling in it, Miyako tried to speak as coherent as she could. That one night, she told Fuji the truth; along with it was her mind beginning to see several images that kept on appearing in her dreams…

_**Flashback…**_

_Back in Kanagawa, more than a year ago (or to be more specific, 16 months ago)…_

"_Ne, Miyako, have you ever thought about how your wedding day will be like?"_

_Miyako averted her gaze to the red-orange setting sun and faced the blue-haired boy standing beside her. His amber eyes weren't looking at her; he was facing the ocean now hued with the setting sun's red-orange color. It was a sad color to look at, in her perception. But sadness like that was something she wasn't actually feeling at that moment._

_Being with Kaito like that, it always brought her indescribable peace for many reasons. Not only because he was her best friend but also because she was his fiancée, the one that her heart had chosen even before she found out they had been betrothed from the start._

_A gentle and happy smile appeared on her face as she looked at the horizon once more. Along with that, she held his hand tight with caused Kaito to look at her._

"_To be honest, I haven't thought about it at all, even after I found out that we're already engaged. But we could start thinking about it now, if you want. At least, we're doing it together," she said and then giggled._

_Though she earned a really amused laugh from Kaito after saying that which made her pout like a child, it didn't matter to her. The happiness welling up inside her was much more than what she had ever thought she would feel her whole life. And this was one moment that she would cherish forever._

_As the sun continued to set on the far horizon, Miyako and Kaito continued to talk about their dream wedding entourage. From the setting, to the guests to be invited, to the foods to be served, the songs to be played, the dress and the motif of the entire wedding entourage. It was all laid down perfectly. Both of them were enthusiastic about it, discussing every detail that would go with it. They had fun doing so._

_However, unbeknownst to them, that enthusiasm and fun were something which would cost her a lot._

_They were set to go home after that long talk they had. But as soon as both of them stood up, a surprised gasp escaped her mouth upon hearing a gunshot… followed by another. But that wasn't the only thing that surprised her—or to be more accurate, shocked her. Those two gunshots hit something. But she never felt like she was struck with something much worse than gunshots as soon as she saw what the gunshots had actually hit._

_A sound of someone dropping to the ground startled her and woke her up from being frozen stiff to her spot. Her eyes widened as she shook her head in denial. And before she realized it, she rushed towards Kaito and cradled him to her lap. He was bleeding… BAD! She didn't know what to do. Her mind shut down the moment she saw the blood gushing out from Kaito's body. She couldn't think clearly. All she ever did was to sob because of helplessness._

"_Kaito… Kaito, please wake up…" was all she could ask of him as she tried to wake him up. But no response came. Not one response… which made it even more hopeless for her._

_Though before she could even try to wake him up again, a click of a gun reloading reached her ears that made her turn around. But she was greeted by a gun pointing at her head. She gulped once but that was it. Her face remained expressionless as she looked at the person who shot Kaito._

"_What do you want? Why do you have to do this?" she managed to ask the perpetrator as coldly as she could._

_An evil smirk—which was something extremely familiar to her and one she loathed so much—made her open her eyes wide. Disbelief and shock further fueled her rage to the culprit. How did this happen?_

_Yes, the one responsible for taking down Kaito was someone familiar to her. To both her and Kaito…_

"_Do I have to give the answer to that when you already know the real reason?" the culprit asked back instead of answering her question._

"_How could you?! Was it really hard for you to accept that I can never love you or be with you in any way? Was it really hard to understand for you to resort to this? How dare you?"_

"_He doesn't deserve you, okay? He was never the one deserving for you. I am!" he exclaimed._

_She scoffed. It was a surprise she could still do that despite the tension rising. "Really? And you actually believed that! So now you have to do this to your own brother?"_

"_Don't make me shoot you, too, Miyako."_

"_Well, to tell you something, it's better if you had just shot me along with Kaito," she said with resolve, without thinking of the consequences. Well, at that point, she couldn't think of anything else other than to get out of that situation as soon as possible so she could call the ambulance and take Kaito to the hospital._

_She could tell Kaito was still fighting. But who knows how long would that last. She could only hope that he continue to hold on until this ordeal was over._

"_How is it that you couldn't love me? How is it that Kaito's the one you chose and not me? Forget that damn engagement!" the man shouted in pure exasperation._

_But she chose not to answer it. After all, there was no way the person who was pointing a gun at her claiming that he was the ine deserving for her would simply understand. He would never understand at all no matter how many times she explained it._

_However, her silence seemed to have infuriated the man even more. And that infuriation fueled his rage for Kaito and aimed his gun at the lifelessly lying blue-haired boy whose head was on Miyako's lap. The blood that continuously coming out from Kaito's body had stained Miyako's clothes. But the girl could care less._

_On impulse, she stood up fast and attempted to take the gun from the man. But he was fast… and was startled bad, too. So it wasn't a surprise that before she could even take the gun from the culprit, a gunshot was heard and had pierced the silence of that night._

_Everything came fast… and she was too late to even stop it. The pain was too much, but maybe it was for the best. At least, she also felt the pain that Kaito was going through now. She won't fight it… She would just let things be._

_As soon as she thought of that, he vision turned black. The last ounce of her will to fight down the pain and continue to live disappeared. She just hoped that Kaito would understand. Before she completely lost consciousness, the thought of not being able to do the planned wedding made her cry—literally and emotionally. Her heart was crying along with a clenching feeling that let her know the pain of not letting that dream wedding come true._

_Still, she knew that the feeling would fade away sooner._

_If only she truly knew, she was dead wrong…._

_**End of flashback…**_

"…all the while, I thought that dying with him was one of the stupidest yet the most romantic event that I could ever experience in my life. When I woke up three days later, that thought suddenly died… along with Kaito. I didn't want to accept it. I kept on calling his name over and over… But he didn't say anything. He never said that even though he was gone, everything would still be okay. He never assured me of that. And that man's words, the gunshots, the blood, and the dream that Kaito and I had woven in our hearts that day… All of it kept on playing inside my mind over and over. Those dreams I had were just memories of how I lost the man I love. And all I could say was sorry… over and over… I couldn't stop myself from saying that because I really want to say that to him. Losing him all of a sudden was just too much. I never even got to say I love you to him before it all happened…"

Pain of remembering, regrets resurfacing, guilt incessantly flowing… It was all too much for Miyako to feel all at the same time as she recounted the tragic night that started everything. She didn't leave any details. And she knew she finally managed to destroy it the moment she started telling Fuji the truth.

She destroyed the barrier that she cast around her—most especially around her heart.

Despite feeling so much emotions that surged her, she eventually realized that telling Fuji the truth provided her with a sense of… relief… and also release, as if a heavy burden had been lifted from her heart. _It's been a long time…_ And indeed, it had been.

Of course, it made her cry even more.

Fuji just let her do so. He couldn't tell if it was out of impulse of if it was really what he wanted to do, he wrapped his arm around her shoulder and pulled Miyako close to his body. That gesture only made the girl sob a bit loud. Her shoulders were shaking in the process. But none of it mattered to him. Before he knew it, his other arm pulled her even close to him and embraced her tight.

Right now, that was the only thing he could do to comfort her. He could only provide that much… at least for now.

But for Miyako, it gave her a lot more than what she had ever asked or wanted at that particular moment in time.

Let it go…

_Release it…_

_Don't hold it in anymore…_

_Enough already…_

Those were the words continuously echoing inside her mind as she continued to cry as she felt Fuji's warm embrace. Relishing such lovely warmth made her promise something to herself.

This would be the last time that Fuji would see her breakdown like this. And never would she allow the past to destroy her again. More than a year of suffering in regret and guilt was enough. Losing her first love might have provided her a lot of guilt feelings, pain and regret enough to let her decide on destroying her life each and every time she'd find a chance.

But now she realized it didn't end with that.

That tragedy only provided her a path to rediscover herself—her old self… with the help of someone who captured her heart that was originally broken to pieces…

… and now that person glued back the pieces of her heart together before she knew it, even without his knowledge. Her songs as the "Siren of the Silver Wind" and her stories as "Aino Nadeshiko" were just some of the witnesses of that. To be honest, she was thankful. Really thankful.

As Miyako continued to sob with her face buried to Fuji's chest, his embrace to her tightened as he ignored the clenching feeling in his chest. After all, this was all he could do to her for now. He'd let her know she wasn't alone anymore. He'd let her know he'd never leave her side no matter how many times she pushed him away from her life. He'd never let her go… now that he knew the truth.

Now that he realized what he really felt for her.

He was in love with Miyako… prehaps he had been a long time ago…

…back to the time he first heard her sing—the time she loosened her barrrier that surrounded her.

And he would never allow anyone to see that barrier loosen nor crumble down anymore. For he would be her barrier; he would provide the shield she needed.

He would protect her… whatever it takes… without staking his life in the process.

That was his promise—his pledge… the one that he made underneath that early summer's starry night sky…

-x-x-

**I guess it won't be too bad to request to you, dear readers, for some reviews, right? That way, I'll know there are still some people out there who appreciate this story. Hehe! You can do that, right? Please? :)**


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Prince of Tennis and its characters. I only own the OC's of this story.

**Warning:** Characters might not be in their usual selves. In other words, possible OOC

**-x-x-**

**Chapter 6**

It was a night that changed a lot about Fuji and Miyako.

It was a night that left a mark in their hearts.

And it was a memorable night—no matter what they had all felt that poured out after several confessions and confrontations—that had made them closer than how they had been before.

After all, it was a night of truth.

And that night was something that both of them cherished—albeit unknowingly to each other—even after a month had passed.

Busy schedule proceeded, as usual. Exams, extra curricular activities and friends kept them preoccupied. But not once had Fuji dared to miss a single instance to be with Miyako. Right after tennis practice for both the boys and the girls' teams, it was "alone time" for the two of them. It was such a lovely time that they wanted to live to the fullest.

Of course, their closeness was something that didn't go unnoticed to the rest of the Seigaku's population. To be specific, to Fuji's fan girls. To them, Miyako was a definite threat. But the fact that the girl belonged to one of the most prominent families in Japan was enough to actually scare them. The Yumemiya family wasn't just a rich family, but their reputation was also something to be reckoned with. It was still a mystery to most of them as to why Miyako enrolled in Seishun Gakuen when she could've gone to Hyotei or any other more pretigious schools for that matter. But only Kana knew the real reason.

After all, that reason was something—or to be more accurate, someone—that even Fuji and the rest of his friends actually knew but never fully realized. Right now, whatever was the reason must remain a secret… until she was given the permission to reveal the truth.

**-x-x-**

Tennis practice was rigorous, as usual and it was no surprise to Miyako that she would be going home late because of that. And it was also no surprise to her that Fuji was waiting for her… again. It appeared that his team's tennis practice was finished earlier than her team's tennis practice.

"Aren't you supposed to head out somewhere today?" she asked. Well, Fuji told her about that yesterday when he said that he might not be able to walk with her home.

But no answer came out of the tensai's mouth. His face was serious, which at that point was something she considered a bit unusual on such occasion.

"Is there something wrong?" she couldn't help but to ask. She frowned as a result.

Again, no answer was spoken. Instead, he took out something from his bag and handed it to her. And he did so with a smile on his face this time.

Reluctantly, she took the gift-wrapped item from him. She couldn't help looking at him and the item on her had simultaneously. "What is this?"

Along with that gentle smile, Fuji approached her and embraced her tight despite the item in between them. Of course, she was surprised at that gesture.

"Seriously, Fuji-san, what's going on?" Confusion, surprise, and appreciation overcame her. She didn't know the right words to say other than to ask question about the situation and his actions.

"Happy birthday, Miyako…" he whispered to her ear that earned him a slightly loud gasp from her. But he expected that, though. After all, Mamoru told him that Miyako had a habit of forgetting her own birthday when she could remember every birthdays of her friends and family.

And right now, he was glad to know that he was the one who first greeted her on that special day… A day he though he never be able to celebrate with her. He knew it was the day she wanted to forget but as long as he was with her, he would never allow that to happen. He'd turn that day into something memorable for both of them.

As for the birthday girl, she fought the urge to cry in front of Fuji. In fact, she fought so hard in order for him not to know that. But it was undeniable that she was happy. The least person she expected to greet her on the day she tend to forget was the very first person that actually reminded her of it. It wasn't that she felt a little bit bitter towards her friends who didn't say anything with regards to her birthday. To tell the truth, they already knew that her birthday somehow held a painful memory. As much as possible, she didn't want to be reminded that it was her birthday.

But how come Fuji reminded her about it and yet she couldn't feel anything aside from gratefulness and joy? How could just one greeting and a hug from the tensai made it feel so different and… so special?

She had no idea how long Fuji embraced her. But the warmth she felt from his embrace was enough to make her realize a lot. Contemplating about it every night added up to that realization.

Yumemiya Miyako's birthdays that would come in the next years were definitely something which would never be the same again. At least, she figured that much…

…if everything between her and Fuji would continue as it was… or maybe even more…

Fuji distanced himself a bit but didn't let her go. His hands were on her shoulders, as if making sure she wouldn't run away from him. Though if he analyzed it, that thought was something he doubted to happen. He stared at her, watching those silver eyes on the verge of crying.

"You don't have to hold it in, you know," he said with a smile. _I should've brought my camera today,_ he added in his thoughts, albeit slyly. He fought the urge to show that in his smile.

But only a smile was something that he got as an answer before she looked away. She held the gift-wrapped item tightly that only made the tensai feel glad. Even though she hadn't opened it yet, it made him think that she appreciated it, at the very least.

She faced him after a few seconds. "Are you planning to take me somewhere?"

"Yeah. I do have a plan like that. But are you going to be okay?"

"What do you mean?"

"You still have tennis practice tomorrow. You should be resting in order for you not to stress yourself out."

A raised eyebrow was the reply he got from her which made him chuckle. "Doesn't that goes to you, too? Your team had a reputation to maintain, you know. And besides, I doubt if I'll be resting at home as soon as I get there. My brother won't let me do that, anyway. Especially on this day."

"Okay. If you say so."

**-x-x-**

Well, Fuji did take her somewhere. But the place was something she least expected to go. And with the tensai as her companion, at that.

"What are we doing here?" Miyako couldn't help asking as she started looking around to scan the place. It was as if she was making sure the place wasn't actually a hallucination at all. She closed her eyes, then opened them again. The place was all there. _Did he really take me here?_

The place was actually the large sakura tree (now in its lush green color since it was already mid-summer) located at the back of Hondou Renji Memorial Hall. That tree, however, wasn't an ordinary tree. It held a legend that she and her friends couldn't help but to believe in. After all, that legend had made that particular sakura tree famous (only to a few selected people, that is) in its own way and made it be known as the "Lovers' Tree" and the most common one—"The Promise Tree".

But why in the world did Fuji take her there?

"The day Tezuka and Hondou-san became a couple—" Fuji started that made Miyako face him. He was looking at the tree, though. "—he told me about this place. I teased him to no end about it. But as usual, he was as stoic as ever. Though I can tell… that this tree was one thing that brought him close to Hondou-san. He treasured this place the same way he treasured tennis, his friends, and the woman I never thought he would love this much."

"You're not someone who would easily believe in such legends," she commented with a serious expression but her tone was light.

"Legends are usually born from truths…" he replied. "There was one person who told me that. It's up to you whether you want to believe that or not." And then he stared at her, his blue eyes pierced through the depths of her soul. It was just like the first time blue and silver orbs clashed together. The same feeling, the same intensity, the same surge of emotions… Both of them had felt it.

The only ones that made them not know about it were fear and uncertainty. For about a year, it was just like that. But maybe… there could still be hope… a way to be freed from those barriers…

"W-why are you telling me this? And why here?" It was a brave attempt on her part to ask such question but she couldn't keept it in any longer. Taken over by confusion, it was okay with her. After all, Fuji had confused her to no extent. But that confusion didn't stop her her from feeling a strong emotion that she had never felt towards any other guy before.

Yes. Even to Kaito whom she felt she had loved more than what she had thought she loved anyone.

But the answer she wanted to hear didn't come.

"Aren't you going to open your gift? I want to know what you think about it since… I had a hard time letting that go," Fuji inquired. The smile on his face was angelic—something she was used to. But there was still something else in that smile. And those words… He said he had a hard time letting it go?

_Just what are you planning, Fuji-san?_ She wanted to ask that. No words came out, though. Instead, she did what he suggested to her—and that was to open the gift he gave to her.

The rectangular item was veiled in glossy ice silver gift wrapper. The icy blue ribbon tied in a bow accented it beautifully. So as careful as she could, she untied the ribbon and unwrapped the box. And as expected it, it was a box. But the fact that the box wasn't an ordinary one wasn't the only reason why she felt surprised. Her heart was beating fast in anticipation.

With slightly quivering hand, she ran her fingers on the glass case. It was easy for her to see what was inside that box. It lookedlike a black leather-covered book and it was thick, too.

Miyako raised her head and eyed Fuji quizically. But he just gestured that she must take a look at it thoroughly to answer her unspoken questions. Without words, she complied.

But before that, she decided to sit first underneath the sakura tree and put her tennis bag on the ground. She didn't want to faint because of whatever she might find out in the book. She had no idea what could possibly happen at that moment.

Miyako took the book from the glass case and opened it as soon as she placed it on her lap. But the surprise she felt upon unwrapping the box was nothing compared to what she felt as she flipped the book's cover. She was just on the first page and yet…

He took so many pictures of her. And it wasn't just any picture. It was a picture she knew he took on the day she transferred to Seigaku. If she could remember it right, it was right after Seigaku had won in the Nationals. Everyone was happy and delighted that the mood around was contagious. But she transferred there during the time she felt her life was useless. Being happy along with her new schoolmates wasn't exactly the way she thought would help her at all.

The picture was taken while she was busy writing her manuscript on a bench near a large tree at the school grounds. Bit by bit, the color of autumn started to taint the leaves around her. But as usual, she took no notice of any of it. After all, her life at that time was dull and lifeless.

Other pictures were taken on that same day, but on different settings. The hallway, the rooftop, the garden, and of course, the tennis courts. Even as she went out of the school grounds, Fuji appeared to have taken photos of her. In that photo, though she was obviously in the middle of the crowd, the camera's focus was still on her.

She felt weird… in a good way. Overwhelmingly happy, too.

"From the start, I already knew you've held some sort of mystery. But you have the ability to hide it from everyone, so it wasn't easy for them to know that you were still in the middle of grieving. To be honest, I didn't know it was sorrow and grief. But I knew it was something intense—something that was hard for you to get rid of easily. Your cold exterior, your blank silver eyes… They all created a barrier around you in order to protect yourself from getting hurt again. It was a barrier that made you mysterious…" Fuji said that startled her and he noticed. "And your mystery had fascinated me to no end since then…"

Uttering any word at all seemed to be a bad idea for Miyako at this point. In fact, words had left her mind after hearing that from Fuji. She looked down and took a careful look at the photos on that first page. All of it clearly showed one emotion that probably made her mysterious, as Fuji stated it. It was probably her ice cold exterior which obviously hid what she truly felt at that time. That exterior was the barrier that she had surrounded herself which gave off that mysterious aura that Fuji said she had.

A smile crept on her face upon recalling so many memories as she saw those pictures. To think the tensai already noticed her on her first day at Seishun Gakuen was something she thought was impossible. But the photos had proven her wrong. As for her, she began noticing him a month after her transfer when she finally gave a care about her surroundings and when she finally met Aika and Hanako through Kana. If it wasn't for these girls who were actually close to Tezuka, Oishi, Inui, Kawamura, Eiji, and Fuji, then perhaps noticing the tensai ws still out of her list.

Just a glance of him, a smile from him—no matter how empty or angelic or even veiled in… something—that she always see, a greeting from him no matter how bad he treated him… They were probably enough for her to notice that a certain tensai named Fuji Syuusuke was actually out there, that he actually existed. And yet, there was more to him than what she had ever known.

Flipping the rest of the pages, pictures and quotes were written on it as she saw them. Captions on each of the pictures were there, too as it unfolded the stories lying hidden behind the scenes in those photos. And there were so many of them. As she continued to do so, she froze at te sight of one picture that she didn't know had existed. It was during the School Festival where she won for the singing contest that she participated into. She wouldn't be surprised if she saw the scene on it that actually portrayed her on the stage.

But that wasn't the case at all.

The picture was actually taken backstage, when she thought she was all alone and no one could see her cry like that. Those tears she had shed wasn't meant to express joy in winning. It was tears that expressed her pain and frustration. Pain because the English song that she sang ("Getting Over You" by Juris Fernandez) reminded her of Kaito and how she was having a hard time letting go. And frustration because the Japanese song ("Kimi Ni Todoke" by May's) that she sang before the English song category was making her think of Fuji when she didn't want to. She was frustrated by the fact that despite the pain and grief she was still feeling, a new emotion was trying to crawl its way through her heart and she couldn't even stop it at all.

Below this photo, something else was written.

It was a poem. Did Fuji write it? And to think he even put a title to it…

"_Even If It Hurts"… It sounded unusually painful—emotionally speaking, that is._ Of course, it was just a thought.

But that thought alone made her realize that there was more to Fuji from before that she didn't know about. Specifically, from the time she met him through Kana. Before the poem was a note that was written beside the picture.

_**I wonder… How long will I be able to put up this kind of front? How long will I continue lying to you? I didn't lie to myself… I could never, but there's a lot I still don't understant. And I want to you understand you more than anything else, Miyako. You're in pain, wallowing in grief, drowning in sorrow—your eyes show them all at that instant. Your eyes kept on shouting "save me"…**_

_**And I want to do it… for you…**_

_**Just let me do it. I can save you… whatever it takes… **_

_**Open up your heart to me, Miyako…**_

That note which was written vertically was already surprising enough that her heart was hammering inside her chest like crazy. Yes, she was a romantic at heart. And even though the loss of her beloved fiance was traumatic enough, it didn't actually stop her from being romantic. Her experience of being in love with the man who loved her the same way was all conveyed through her manuscripts—through her novels.

But looking at the note right now made her realize that merely writing romantic words was nothing compared to actually experiencing it. Fuji didn't use flowery words at all. It was just simple words, easy to understand. But the impact it gave to her was more than what she had expected.

Didn't he even notice? She already opened up to him—through the novels that she wrote and her songs that she sang with all her heart. But he only heard her sing and probably he wasn't the person who would read her romance novels. Though she had to admit, the possibility was still there. She couldn't remove that possibility at all since almost all of the students at Seigaku had already read Aino Nadeshiko's books.

Shrugging that thought off of her mind for a while, she proceeded in reading the poem written below the picture.

_**I've met you in a world that gave you so much pain**_

_**They're enough to make you crazy; they're also heavy to gain**_

_**From what I can see, you've banished love from your heart**_

_**As all of your hope had come falling apart**_

_**It rains so hard even at night**_

_**And everything just doesn't seem right**_

_**But I'll keep on praying so hard**_

_**Just to be able to deal with our fate's card**_

_**But I only want to be with you**_

_**Even if you feel that your life was so blue**_

_**Maybe I could fade the pain away**_

_**And maybe we'll be able to be together one day**_

_**Even if you go away starting now**_

_**And the road of life starts to twist somehow**_

_**I promise I'll be with you till the end**_

_**Even if it hurts me as my faith starts to bend**_

_**The cruel world had changed your heart**_

_**And now it's starting to break apart**_

_**But I'll continue to love someone and it's only you**_

_**Even if it hurts, and happily ever after won't come true**_

Though Miyako wanted to say something after reading that, her mouth couldn't utter a single words. Not only that, her heart hadn't stop beating so fast that it was becoming painful for her to bear it. In addition to that, she knew she already turned deep shade of crimson as her mind had finally comprehend the thought of the poem.

No… it wasn't the thought that turned her red. Only one word made her like that. One word that she never thought would come from Fuji Syuusuke.

Her one hand clamped her mouth enough to prevent whatever sound that would come out from it. Fuji wasn't saying anything and seriously, at that point, she couldn't even look at him.

But she couldn't ask him anything anything yet. Maybe the book (or she would say the scrapbook) held more words that might let her know about Fuji's true feelings or intentions. She has to know before her imagination went wild with all that was happening at the moment.

With a deep breath and a pounding heart, she continued reading the book. Most of the photos there were definitely stolen shots whenever she felt she was just all alone or no one would actually pay attention to her. Notes and quotations were written either below or beside each photo, ending up being the caption that told the story of the photos. She couldn't help smiling and chuckling as quiet as she could in order not to draw attention—especially from Fuji—but somehow she couldn't really contain it for long.

The last photo was just like the one taken during the School Festival. Only the scene was different. There was another note and poem with a drawing of a chibi character in a bed looking up to the sky. The photo was a drawing of a fluffy cloud surrounding it, as if the chibi character was having a dream about her. At that point, she smiled since she found it cute and she couldn't supress it anymore.

The photo was actually take during the ranking tournaments while she was seriously playing with the aim of taking down a third year member. That senpai of hers was too arrogant, overly cocky and had even belittled her and her friends just because they made it to the second round of the ranking tournaments. With all she got, she pummeled her senpai in a tennis match with a score of 6-0. Of course, the result caused an uproar to most of the third year members but their captain and vice-captain shut them up with just a glare.

The photo was beautiful in her own perception since it caught her doing one of her signature moves—a powerful two-handed stroke that she called "Photon Lancer" in which the resulted shot was actually fast and accurate for a first year like her—too fast and accurate for that matter. As far as she could remember, it was Sanada and Yukimura who helped her polish that move when she was still living in Kanagawa. The name was courtesy of Yanagi and Kana who combined their suggestions.

Anyway, back to the topic…

It would appear that Fuji had a talent for poetry and applied it in that notebook/scrapbook/photobook. And her heart melted at the words and the thought in it. The poem—as it appeared to her by the way it was written—was written for one sole reason: to remind him of the very first day he saw her. Not only that, it was also acting as a sort of motivation for him.

Or at least that was what she thought…

_**I met you unexpectedly amidst the crowd**_

_**Along with music and noise that keep on getting loud**_

_**You're the only one I see standing out**_

_**Despite the crowd that's running about**_

_**You're the reason of those sleepless nights**_

_**Hoping I could see you again, oh how I wish I might**_

_**But I guess I'm hoping for the impossible**_

_**Because my wish seems so unreasonable**_

_**Still, here I am lying on my bed**_

_**My eyes are close as I lie still like dead**_

_**But beyond those eyes that are closed**_

_**It's you I always dreamed of the most**_

_**It's a funny thing but it's also felt real**_

_**I couldn't tell you when I started to feel**_

_**Feel this emotion that is so foreign**_

_**But it's so warm it feels like heaven**_

_**As I watched my world slowly turning blurred**_

_**I only wish for one thing in this world**_

_**I don't want to spend another sleepless night**_

_**Without you and your love to make my life bright**_

Seriously, she had no idea what to say in reply to that. Much worse, she also thought that words would never be enough to express everything she wanted to say to Fuji.

And something hit her as she recalled the previous poem.

_Did he just confess? Through that poem?_ And take note, he used two poems to do that.

Without knowing, she lifted up her head and was about to voice out her question. But something else happened that had most arguably gave her the greatest shock of her life. He silver orbs opened wide, staring in shock into nothingness as she finally managed to comprehend the entire event. Everything around started to get hazy as an inexplainable warmth and fire surged within her. Fuji's soft lips pressed against hers made her feel all that and more.

Yes… Fuji's lips… she could feel them now, at that moment, underneath the Promise Tree which was special to her and her friends. And it was sunset, at that.

Wait a minute… Did something like this happened before? How come it all felt… familiar? Déjà vu, perhaps?

No… it wasn't déjà vu. But it was undeniably familiar. And yet her mind at that moment couldn't conjure the clear image she wanted to recall. Everything went hazy; her world was spinning. Her eyelids felt like they were slowly drooping. And then, her eyes closed.

Fuji's lips moved softly against her hesitant lips. Then slowly, the kiss went deep and she felt like drowning because of too much emotions overflowing. He gently leaned her back against the tree with his hand slowly reaching the back of her neck. Pulling her close and without letting her go (at all cost), she let him feel her through that wonderful. She wouldn't disappoint him—or at least she would try not to.

And feel her he did. She returned his kiss with equal passion that she wished everything would stay that way… forever. It was intense, but she liked it… Loved it… Cherished it…

It was heaven… until the need for air became overwhelming. Reluctantly, they let each other go as they tried to catch their breaths. She opened her eyes to look at the face of the boy who made her have that breathtaking experience (literally). And as she wanted to make sure that it was real, that was had just happened wasn't merely categorized as dreams, hallucinations, imagination, or worse, delusions of some sort. Of course, as far as she knew, she didn't take in anything that might have contained hallucinogens in them, right?

His piercing blue orbs staring at her right now answered her questions. What had just happened wasn't categorized to anything she mentioned a while back. This was reality.

"F-Fuji-san…" she started. "W-what was—"

"I love you… Miyako. I always have. At least, I want you to know that." And just like that, he kissed her again without even giving her a chance to reply.

But for her, it doesn't matter.

This moment was the only thing that mattered to her. A moment that would change her life forever. And through that kiss, she would let him know that.

**-x-x-**

"Sadaharu, do you really want to die at this moment? If you don't stop snooping on your friends' personal lives, make sure you've already written your will before I kill you right here and now."

Inui twitched and abruptly stopped scribbling onto his notebook. Before he knew it, Hanako took the video camera that he had made Eiji hold.

"O-oi, don't delete that!" the bespectacled data man still managed to utter despite the fear he felt from his childhood friend's threat. But to his surprise (which he didn't notive easily), Hanako had a blank expression on her face as she watched the recorded video.

It was blank at first, then as slowly as it appeared, her face now showed yearning and undeniable pain.

"Hana?" he ventured. He wasn't used to this expression of his best friend.

A deep breath was the only reply he got from her. And before he could even stop her, she took the tape from the video camera and placed it in her bag. Hanako gave the device back to Inui.

Long before he could even complain, Hanako pulled the data man away from their hiding place where they had a clear view of the kissing scene between Fuji and Miyako under the Promise Tree. Eiji gave the leaving pair a bewildered look and chose to follow them with a confused "nya!" instead.

The red head acrobat doesn't have any plans of getting beaten to pulp—let alone get killed—by Hanako's iron fist (or at least that's how it felt to Inui who feared them since who knows how long). He must never forget that Hanako's true skill was the opposite of her name's meaning ("flower child"). That skill made her become part of the girls' tennis team's "Five Columns Of Seigaku"—which was a special title given by the tennis captain to the five first years who got the regulars' spots.

That must have made Hanako someone special to Inui (no matter how much he denied it). But only Inui knew who Hanako really was to him.

**-x-x-**

"So it's really him who wanted to kill Mi-chan a month ago," Mamoru uttered under his breath with his fist tightened until it turned pale.

"Killing her is an overstatement, Mamoru-san," a girl (with long mint green hair tied in a high ponytail) said soberly. "From his actions which was only implemented once, he only wanted to warn her. But with the progress between her and that Fuji Syuusuke-san, he's about to make a comeback. He continued to stalk her but not as stealthy as we do in our assignments. After all, Miyako is someone who could easily sense a foreboding presence because of her expertise and years of training with us."

Mamoru's hold on the brown folder tightened. That brown folder contained the information that the mint green-haired girl in front of him had given just now. And that information was enough for him to know that Miyako's life was in danger. Not only that, Fuji's life would get involved in it. Of course, Mamoru knew that his sister would never allow that to happen.

But then…

"Do you think it's wise for Mi-chan to know all this?"

No words came out of the girl's mouth. She just looked at him with such concerned eyes. At that point, he knew. Just like him, the girl was also struggling to find an answer to that.

All he did was to heave a heavy sigh just to calm himself down. Yes, he could do something to save his sister. And he'd do it in so many extent. But right now, only Miyako would decide that. No one else.

And he figured out right there and then, this was one of the situations where Miyako must let her love for Fuji prevail…

…whatever it takes to do it.

"Why must she undergo such predicament again?" Mamoru mumbled in total exasperation and extreme worry for his little sister.

Long silence passed by again. But the girl didn't seem to mind at all.

"I'm really sorry for letting you do all this, Julie. Right now, I can only entrust Mi-chan's problems on this one to you."

The girl he called Julie smile knowingly at that. "You don't have to apologize. I'm not only tasked to protect the little princess, anyway. I must also prioritize my family's safety. After all, it is my duty. Miyako is my cousin and the sister I never had. I treat her the same way as Kana and Hotaru. It's not only that the princess is worried about Miyako at this point, but she's also worried about her brother's friend Fuji Syuusuke."

Mamoru straightened up as soon as he heard the words "little princess".

"By the way, how is the princess? Is she doing well?"

A nod provided the answer to that question. "She's okay. Her life in America is peaceful, along with her adopted brother. But even though she's living far from us, it was natural for her to feel worried for our safety here. That's why I can't go back to Munich until I make sure Miyako's okay. I must provide the good news to the princess."

"And we will. I can promise you that."

**-x-x-**

Having Fuji walk her home had never felt so blissful for Miyako. In fact, everything that had happened after that… lovely event still felt like a hazy dream to her. Even though the tensai was holding her hand along the way, it still wasn't enough to convince her of what was reality or otherwise. But the heavenly feeling never left her. She felt as if she was floating, her feet weren't touching the ground at all.

The silnce that had surrounded them was comforting. The night sky was filled with shimmering stars. The summer night breeze felt just right.

It would've been perfect, but…

… something was still missing.

"Um… Fuji-san?"

He faced her with that ever-present smile of his. But it was a different one in her perception. At that point, she couldn't point her finger on it.

"Are you going to ask me about the kisses we shared a while back?" he asked in a teasing tone, causing her body to flush.

She shook her head rashly as her mind started recalling that particular event again. Seriously, how can she not predict this guy's thinking at all? They just come to her in a flash and definitely without warning. And now that she thought about it, it was seriously and incredibly frustrating.

But looking back, she realized that everything she had right now happened in a flash. Unexpected. Out of hands. An anomaly.

Truth be told, she liked it. A lot.

"You really have a way for breaking a good moment, do you?" she stated with a smile. Fuji chuckled. "But I guess that's one reason why I ended up like this with you."

And then… total silence. Both of them stopped to their tracks. Miyako faced Fuji in slight confusion and worry she couldn't hide. He wasn't looking at her, but she knew he was deeply thinking. The silence itself proved it.

"Fuji?" she ventured without a care about the fact that she said his name without honorifics or being called a worrier—maybe even a nuisance—to that contemplating silence.

"What you said a while back… Does that mean… you love me, too?"

She was startled at that reluctance in his voice and his hopeful stare. Did he not get the message earlier? She thought she had showed that to him. An amused smile appeared on her face, ignoring the heat that coursed through her body.

"Didn't you even feel it when I returned your kisses to me a while back?" instead, she asked that because she wanted to know. "You know, I don't usually blurts out my feelings until I get used to it. More often, it made me speechless the entire time. But I guess you still need words to assure you, huh?"

With that, Fuji thought of her words. Did he not feel it? Hard as he tried not to recall the event just until he reached Miyako's home, he failed. Slowly, he did his best to think about it. He needed to remember in order for him to know. There and then, it hit him—hard. The sensation, the response, the feelings—the answer was all there. He just have to feel it.

Before he could even voice out his answer with a sly smile, his eyes opened. It was quick but he felt it. A soft, warm lips landed on his cheek along wih an angel-like whisper of words he had been meaning to hear from her since the beginning.

"I love you, Fuji… more than you know…"

He faced her and his heart thumped wildly again. Blame her rare gentle smile for that. In any case, he liked it so much. Now that he thought about it, he could only see that smile when he was involved. Her smile was different whenever Kana and the others were concerned. Another difference in her smile could be seen if his friends (Tezuka and the others) or their schoolmates were concerned.

How he wanted to have that smile for himself forever. God knows how much he wanted to have it all to himself. After all, it was that smile that changed a lot between him and Miyako a long time ago.

He stood in front of her without letting go of her hand. He just stared at her intently. "You have no idea how long I've waited to hear that from you."

"Sorry I made you wait for that. I just… wanted to be sure of my feelings before I tell you everything. To be honest, I'm still scared. I don't know what to do. A lot of what if's kept running in my mind over and over if I tell you I love you. I'm so scared…" Her voice started cracking.

Fuji could hear her quivering, her had felt cold. She was telling the truth. He held her hand tighter but there was still hints of gentleness in his touch. In a way, it gave her strength.

"But I'm glad… that things turned out this way, no matter how unexpected it had been. One of the loveliest surprise I ever had in my life. I'll always remember it, I can promise you that," she continued before looking down. Her tears started falling and she just let them fall. "You have no idea… how glad I am to have met you, Fuji… Thank you… Thank you…"

His hand lifted to her face, cheeks stained with tears. He raised her face to meet his. His heart—despite thumping wildly—clenched at the sight of those tears. "Thank you? Why are you thanking me? What for?"

She met his gaze, no matter how piercing it was. Those words she itchingly wanted to say for a long time, it was about time she let them out now. "Thank you… for saving me. Thank you for making me smile. Thank you for being there for me even though I didn't really ask for it. Thank you for not staying away from me even though I kept on pushing you away. Thank you for making me happy again. And thank you… for giving me your heart… your love… Thank you so much… for giving me a second chance to love happily again…"

"Too bad I'm not your first kiss…" he joked. At least, it worked. It made her smile despite the tears. And to his eyes, it made her radiant.

"Does it matter?"

Of course, that question had taken him aback. At least for a short while.

"Whether or not you're my first kiss, it doesn't matter to me. I love you and that's all that matters. More than a year ago, I was resolved to live my life in solitude and grief. Never did it come to me that I'd fall in love once again. Especially to you who literally annoyed and scared me at first." She chuckled at that part. Her hand touched his face. "You have no idea how much I've wished to let go of my past, of my regrets. I wanted to live my life free from those. And then you came… You saved me and it was already too much. But it made me fall in love with you even more no matter how I tried to avoid it. And I'll always be glad you did that to me.'

He only replied to such long words of the lemon-haired silver-eyed maiden with a smile that had seemed to have formed a message more than plain words could say. He knew he was good with words, at the very least. But the overwhelming feeling in his heart made him speechless at that point. His mind couldn't form a sentence that he wanted to say wholeheartedly. He was overwhelmingly happy and surprised to do so.

All he did was to pull her close to him and embraced her tight. The streets going to the Yumemiya state were dark, which he was thankful of. At least the darkness of the night obscured the faint tint of pink on his cheeks as he did so, probably he could blame his speechlessness for that. He wasn't know to be someone as such, he supposed.

"Onii-san's right. I can never be happy if I continue avoiding you. I'm glad he told me that long before I lost my strength to fight heads on," she whispered which Fuji managed to hear, of course. _Which makes it all the more reason why I can't lose you now, more than ever. So even if I have to risk my life protecting you, I'll do it. I can't afford to make the same mistake again,_ she added in her thoughts which made her a little scared of what tomorrow would bring to her.

But this was the risk she was willing to take.

She just hoped it wasn't a risk she would end up losing in the end.

**-x-x-**

Of course, not all hopes usually come true. Miyako found that out exactly that very same night. A foreboding feeling was hovering around and it was dreadfully familiar to her. Dare she say it, she was sure it was the same presence she felt more than a year ago on one of Kanagawa's beach sides…

…the ocean side where she lost Kaito for good.

Fuji left her after she entered the house and bid him goodnight. Of course, she did it with a wonderful gift that he wouldn't dare forget. A kiss was definitely all that it took to do it. It had never felt so good, in her perception.

But that good feeling didn't last long, however. That foreboding feeling kept on nagging her at the back of her mind. It didn't leave her at all.

_I can't let this happen again!_ It was all she thought about as she prevented herself from entering the house. But she didn't act upon it on her own. The deed was on impulse—a dictation of her mind and her heart in unison.

She took off, somehow knowing where she should head off to find Fuji. But aside from Fuji, she also found someone else.

It was Kaito's brother and killer—Yoshimi Ryou.

But he was supposed to be in prison at this point, right? It only had been more than a year since the tragedy happened.

**-x-x-**

**Uh-oh! This isn't good for Fuji. What will happen now?**

**There's chapter 6. Please review!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Prince of Tennis and its characters. I only own the OC's of this story.

**Warning:** Characters might not be in their usual selves. In other words, possible OOC

**-x-x-**

**CHAPTER 7**

"You sure know how to make a grand entrance, Fuji Syuusuke," Ryou taunted with a smrik to the blue-eyed tensai. "…especially in Miyako's life…"

Fuji twitched inwardly as he heard the way this guy mentioned Miyako's name. It was obssessively possessive (if ever such phrase existed) which he really didn't like hearing from any guy at all.

"Well, not as grand as you did more than a year ago…" Then his eyes opened, with piercing azure eyes hardening as each seconds passed by. "…and also not as sloppy as you did more than a month ago, no matter the reasons for doing so."

Anger wasn't something that Fuji usually feel towards a stranger, not unless that particular did almost everything (and he meant "everything") to cause pain and suffering to the ones important to him. It was that trait which made him a pretty dangerous person, especially in tennis courts. But right now, he was not in tennis courts. He was outside the realm of that sport.

He already knew the person who was in front of him, with all the information provided to him courtesy of Mamoru a month ago and Kana just a while ago before he decided to wait for Miyako and give her his birthday gift. Not once did he try to leave Miyako's side after learning the truth because he feard for his beloved's life.

_Beloved…_ How beautiful it sounded to his ears. Just like Miyako's voice.

Ryou was looking a bit surprised, as if he was doing his best to hide it from Fuji. Seconds later, he regained his composure. "Of course, it was a failure. It seems to me you already know about that. Then I guess you already know what will happen to you if you still insist on getting closer to Miyako."

Fuji's eyes—despite being closed again—hardened at the threat of the man. He wasn't scared or anything similar. After all, he couldn't let himself feel something like that in front of this person. This person had caused Miyako a lot of pain that she once though she'd never be able to escape at all. It took a long time before she was finally freed.

"What do you think you'll achieve by doing this? Do you really think you'll have Miyako's heart if you keep getting rid of the people—most especially the guys—who get close to her? She'll resent you for it, she'll hate you to the extent of her cursing that you shoouldn't have been alive to cause her so much sadness at all. With what you're continuing to do now, I highly doubt you'll be able to talk to Miyako, let alone face her confidently. But it seems you've already prepared yourself for the outcome," Fuji said confidently but with a hint of coldness in his voice that rarely show itself to others, even to some of his enemies.

And as he had expected, his words appeared to have infuriated Ryou even more than how he was a while back when the man showed himself to Fuji. Of course, that infuration didn't bring him any satisfaction since instantly faded the moment he saw Ryou smirk—and it was done evily. Pure evil. To be honest, he didn't like the dread forming at the back of his mind as soon as he saw that.

But before he could even form a firm conclusion, Ryou let it out and pointed it at Fuji. It was a pistol. And from what he remembered in Miyako and Mamoru's stories, it was the same gun that the man used to kill Kaito that night. This can't be right… He's not going to end up dead right then and there, right?

No way! There's no way he'd allow that to happen. He made a promise—albeit done so silently—upon admitting to himself that he was in love with Miyako. If he died right there, he'd never be able to forgive himself at all.

"Looks like I have to do it again, huh?" Ryou taunted once more with that evil smirk still plastered on his face. Fuji could only clench his fist and grit his teeth at the sight—a sight he loathed to many extent. Now he understood fully the extent of Mamoru's hatred to this crazy man obssessed to Miyako. "Don't worry. I'll make sure you'll only feel the pain for a short time. That way, you'll not scream in pain at all. Just bear with it for a while, okay? I'll make sure you'll meet my ever-wonderful-to-everyone brother of mine to wherever you are heading after I do that. And if you do, will you deliver my message to Kaito?" Ryou's smirk went wider at that. "Tell him that I'll take good care of his ex-fiancee and I'll make sure she won't love anyone else but me."

No words came out of Fuji's mouth. He stood firm tohis ground even though he wanted to punch the living hell out of that jerk relentlessly. How dare him say something like that possessively, without even a care about Miyako's feelings at all. But the tensai immediately realized that Ryou never cared. And because of that, Miyako suffered.

But he'll make sure never to make a repeat of that ever again. Ryou was INSANELY serious about ending Fuji's life on the spot if he stood firm to his resolve of not letting Miyako go just to give her to this guy. She'd rather take her own life than live in suffering with this crazy bastard from hell. Of course, it would be her last resort if the worst thing did happen. He was sure of that, at the very least.

And with that, he didn't move from his spot. Not one inch. He'd show this guy that he'd never let Miyako go at all cost. But he wished he'd survive this ordeal before he regret not moving because he wanted to prove to this Ryou guy that he'd do whatever it takes to protect the one he loved the most.

"Better say your prayers, Fuji Syuusuke."

But the tensai only answered that first with a smirk. "No goodbyes? Just prayers? Then I guess you wouldn't end up eradicating me to the face of the earth with your trusty weapon, after all." Well, somehow, he was confident to say that.

His words only fueled Ryou's infuration which caused no surprise that the latter fired the gun without a careful thought. Infuration blinded him and made Ryou fire the gun two times. But that wasn't what surprised the hell out of the two males after the sound of the gunshots was smothered by total silence surrounding them.

None of them dared to move because of a dreadful sight. It was when someone dropped to the ground that Fuji was snapped out of his shocked trance. In one stride, he was already by that person's side, cradling her seemingly lifeless body to his arms.

Yes… her…

A girl who somehow happened to be just near the area. And what made his heart stop beating at least that moment was the dreadful fact that it was someone he knew. His hand was quivering as he removed locks of lemon-colored hair away from her pale face. She was still breathing, but…

Her breathing was ragged, even though it was faint. Feeling a warm palm caressing her somewhat cold face, Miyako opened her eyes slowly. It was an attempt she succeeded, despite feeling too weak. With her eyes half-opened, she looked around as she tried to find Fuji. She wanted to make sure he was safe. She wanted to make sure that her action was worth whatever happens.

A pair of worried—and ever-piercing—blue eyes clashed with her hazy and almost blank silver ones. Despite the pain, she smiled, feeling all too happy. He was alright; his arms cradling her body was enough poof. She knew at that moment that it was worth it.

What she did was worth it.

"Miyako…" Fuji called out, trying to collect his scattered thoughts. "Why…? Why did you do that?"

The smile on herface didn't vanish. It was still there, which made it all too hard for Fuji to bear and accept the reality.

"T-thank… g-goodness…" she started in a whisper. '"Thank God… I wasn't late this time… I saved you… And it was worth it…" Her tears fell the moment her breathing started to become uneven. "I'm glad… I was able to save you… that I wasn't late… I guess we're even now, huh? You saved me before and you did more… Thanks to t-that, I-I came t-to love… y-you… N-now I… I-I saved you… I just wished I… I… I could've done more…"

"Miyako, don't say things like that!" he blurted out in frantic that he couldn't hide now. She was getting colder on his arms and it doesn't really look so good. "You'll be fine, okay? You can hold on. Please… just hold on… Don't you even dare try to leave me, especially now!"

His words only caused her tears to fall even more; her body shaking because of it. Nothing like this had ever happened when it was her and Kaito. She was never given a chance to say to Kaito the words that Fuji had spoken just now. It all happened too fast, that's why she regretted it over and over.

Her eyelids become heavier, her pulse going fainter by the second, her breathing was slow. "I'm… an i-idiot, right? For me… t-to do something… like this…" She took a deep breath even though it was really hard for her to do so. "B-but it's… it's okay… A-at least… y-you're alright… a-and it's… it's for… the best… Syuu…" She paused for a short while. "…Syuusuke…"

And everything around Fuji seemed to have gone still. It felt like that the moment Miyako closed her eyes…

…completely…

**-x-x-**

"This can't be… Not again… No way I'm doing it all over again…" Ryou kept mumbling in total disbelief as his hold to his gun started quivering. But little by little, it was starting to get tight.

His eyes landed on the two people on the ground.

One was sitting on it while the other was cradled, lifeless. Fuji was staring at the unconscious Miyako in utter shock before his eyes opened, allowing tears to fall from them incessantly. Before the tensai could even think of what he was doing, he embraced Miyako's body tight.

"Don't do this to me, Miyako! Please, don't do this! I'm begging you…" was all he could say to her as his arms tightened around the unconscious lemon-haired girl. That has got to be a dream! This wasn't supposed to happen! He wanted to wake up at that moment so that he'd seen Miyako again—alive and well. "I should've been more careful. I'm sorry I let you go through this again. I'm so sorry, Miyako… I'm so sorry…"

He kept uttering those words over and over—hoping that his apology for being so careless would her back to him. And because of that, the events that had happened next didn't register all too well in his mind.

For the first time, his mind refused to think of anything else other than making sure that Miyako would come back. That's all he ever wanted right now.

Around him, a few exchange of gunshots pierced the silnce of that particular night. Deep inside Fuji's heart, he wished that those gunshots would end along with the fear of losing someone he truly loved. He wished for those gunshots to end Miyako's suffering and loneliness and though weird as it might have sounded, he wanted it to forge a new path.

A path that he truly wished for him and Miyako to walk peacefully…

…hand in hand…

…together…

**-x-x-**

The white ceiling of the room had what greeted Miyako's sight as soon as she opened her eyes. The room was bright, giving her the assumption that it was already morning. The sun's warmth wasn't that painful to the skin, that was why she thought that it was probably past 7 in the morning. She closed her eyes and tried to move her body. But the minute movement she did had caused a surge of pain to course throughout her body, forcing her to shut her eyes tight. She couldn't help seething through her teeth as she felt the pain.

Of course, along with it was the memory of what had happened for her to feel that kind of pain. It all made sense to her now. Letting the pain subside, she just closed her eyes for a few minutes as she slowly breathed in and out. It wasn't easy, but she managed to do it. When she opened her eyes again, her vision started becoming clearer by the second. She looked around the room, but no one else was there with her.

For some weird reason, realizing that she was alone in that room made her feel… empty inside. And she wouldn't lie that she wanted to see a certain someone at that moment. But that would be a selfish thought, right? That person still has a life to live, after all. Besides, his life doesn't actually revolve around her alone. It's not right to ask him to stay beside her all the time. Perhaps it would be better if she just—

Her thoughts were interrupted by the opening of the door to her room, and upon turning her head to look at the door, a small smile crept on her face as an indescribable warmth filled her heart. Even though it was just a small smile, she knew that person would tell how happy she was to see him in that room. Now she won't feel empty anymore than how she was a while back.

As soon as Fuji opened the door, he caught a glimpse of a girl's head on that white hospital bed turning towards his direction. He caught a glimpse of her small smile—one that showed relief and happiness. The emotions lying in that smile were the ones he was also feeling the moment he saw Miyako finally awakened from her slumber. And to think it took about four long days of agonizing and torturing wait before it happened…

The moment he saw her awake, he strode towards the bed and pressed his lips against her still cold ones in a manner that virtually spoke everything he wanted to tell Miyako at that moment. Despite feeling weak, Miyako tried her best to return the kiss in equal passion. Hard as it looked like, they admitted one thing to themselves. That kind of kiss could be a good way to communicate with each other.

But it wasn't like they had to do it all the time just to convey message that the other doesn't need to know, right?

The kiss ended after a few more moments, especially when the need to breathe became overwhelming. As it was done, Fuji looked at Miyako who was blushing but her eyes showed a lot.

One of them was her worries for him and that she obviously missed him. And it wasn't a surprise for her to feel her tears streaking down from her eyes.

"I thought I'll be over for good…" she murmured as she allowed her tears to fall. Those tears could mean a lot and Fuji could interpret it in so many ways. But he could tell—fear was among those different interpretations. The fear from what happened to Kaito more than a year ago got to her.

He caressed her face and kissed the tears with so much gentleness and security that Miyako could only feel from Fuji. It was one touch that told her—her nightmare was over. In fact, at that moment the bullets hit her, she thought she would never be able to feel his touch ever again. But from the looks of it, fate had other plans for her.

"You don't have to be scared anymore, Miyako. It's over. I'm not going to let something like that happen to you again. You don't have to go through that kind of torture ever again," Fuji assured her as he continued wiping her tears as he caressed her hair. "Thanks to your brother's help, it's already possible."

Miyako frowned. "Onii-san? What did my brother do?"

"He and your cousin Julie-san—they're the ones who took down Ryou after that bastard shot you. Without my knowledge, tezuka and Shinjou-san also conducted their own investigation about what happened. They just confirmed Julie-san's investigations about the case where Ryou dropped that mirror and flower pot from the school building months ago."

"I know Julie conducted an investigation if it's Onii-san who asked her to do it. But to think even Tezuka-san and Kana-chan… What did they find out regarding Ryou?"

Fuji sighed and straightened up for a few seconds. Then he sat on the bed and held Miyako's hand before he spoke. But never did it come to her that he truth she would hear from the blue-eyed tensai was going to surprise her in so many extents. She didn't know such reasons existed behind the death of her ex-fiance.

Summarizing both Julie's investigations and that of Tezuka and Kana's discovery, Ryou was the legitimate child of the Yoshimi family. Kaito originally wasn't until the couple adopted him when he was only 3 years old. But the fact that Ryou had been damaging the family's reputation for many years because of his bad habits made him lose his right over his inheritance until decides that he changed his ways. This had been the start of Ryou's jealousy and hate towards his adpoted brother. Kaito did his best not to disappoint the family that adopted him, that's why he excelled in almost all of the things he did. While Ryou rebelled and continued to disappoint his family. It was her engagement to Kaito that made Ryou snap and lose it all. Just like what Ryou thought, his only way to get even to Kaito was through her. But everything just went worse than they could ever think of when Ryou killed Kaito which almost cost her life (incuding her sanity). Ryou was stripped off of his right to use the Yoshimi name and fortune when he was put to jail. The moment he killed Kaito, the family decided that Yoshimi Ryou was already dead.

Ryou felt his mission was far from over since Miyako wasn't dead yet. And so a diablolical plan was created in order to eradicate her. But it would only be complete if he started it off by destroying first those that she loved, thus leading him to know her connection to Fuji. He couldn't destroy Mamoru or Miyako's friends for many reasons so Ryou started it off with Fuji as soon as he escaped from prison—which had failed from the start. He used the reason of having feelings for her whereas in fact, all he felt for her was nothing more than hatred—one that doesn't disappear so easily—towards Kaito and everything that Kaito treasured the most. In other words, Yumemiya Miyako—Kaito's fiancee. Exchange of gunshots ensued on that quiet street the night she was shot when she took the two bullets meant for Fuji. Two versus one—the winner was already obvious. Especially if Ryou's opponents were highly skilled in sharpshooting. After all, Yumemiyas were known for their precision in sharpshooting.

Miyako also learned that Tezuka and Kana's investigations led them to as far as Kanagawa—her hometown. With the help of Tezuka's grandfather Kunikazu and Sanada's grandfather Gen'nemon, the investigation went on smoothly. Sanada and Yukimura participated, as well, much to Tezuka's surprise. But they chose to set aside their rivalries to help their common friend—Miyako.

And now, after hearing all of that, Miyako felt more tired than ever. But thinking about it now wouldn't help her recover at all. She had a tennis tournament to think about and Fuji for her to fight and get better. Those two—as of that moment—were just some of the most important reason for her to do what it takes to recover from all the ordeal she'd dealt with.

"I never thought it was actually that worst. And you were almost taken down by that jerk if I didn't do something."

"What you did was recklessness no matter what reasons you had at that time," Fuji chided her but she only smiled cheekily. It was a surprise she could still do that despite her condition. But it was already a sign that she was on the road to recovery. "But all of that is already in the past. Okay? Just focus yourself on getting better. Now there's nothing that will ever separate us again—especially an early death for any of us."

"You still don't know what destiny holds for us."

But a gentle squeeze on her hand and a sweet, true smile on his lips contradicted her words. "I don't care about all that. The only destiny I know is you."

"Fuji?" She frowned at his words as she felt her heart wildly pounding.

"So we're together now, right? I think it's destiny that we've met and eventually fell in love like this even when you tried to avoid it. If it isn't destiny, then I don't know what to call this. Nevertheless… I won't exchange this chance to be with you for anything."

She couldn't help laughing at his cheesy lines but she wasn't going to deny that she loved hearing those words from the man she had come to love after all that had happened.

"Since when did you become this overly romantic that makes me want to puke?" she asked in a form of a joke.

Fortunately, Fuji got the message immediately, making him laugh, as well. "Ever since I learned that you're actually Aino Nadeshiko."

Her eyes widened in surprise when she heard that. "How did you know that? Did someone tell you about that?"

Fuji shook his head. "I guess you're forgetting who I am, my dear Miyako."

Of course, his statement made her roll her eyes. "How could I forget? Okay, Tensai-san, how did you figure it out?"

"Your ninth novel," he said plainly. "The author's page had a message in it—one that the readers had easily spotted. Even though it was just a dedication page, the words that you wrote there made me figure everything out. And of course, don't forget that you've written my name on it."

_The words that I wrote on my ninth novel?_ Despite her confusion, she tried recalling the words that Fuji was talking about. Until the words he was talking about flashed in her mind.

_**In the depths of those blue orbs lies a story of million words. As I try to touch it, reality made me feel so shattered. Those blue eyes stared at me with care which I chose to ignore. No matter how much I ignore or avoid it, he always finds a way to reach out, helping me get out of this suffocating darkness. His blue eyes showed me a lot—more than words can say. It was so blue—the color which made me still continue to hope. Those blue eyes that he possessed told me that one day, I'll finally be free.**_

_**This is for the knight that could save me—the knight which holds all my hope for a better future.**_

_**To my blue-eyed knight… Fuji Syuusuke…**_

She should have guessed that it would be easy for Fuji to figure out the message in it. He was the tensai, after all. And boy, he definitely lived up to that title. But it was no doubt that she was glad he figured it out. The message was meant for him; no one else. He was her knight. He saved her long before she accepted the fact. He didn't turn his back on her no matter who worse she treated him.

And how glad she was because of that.

"Are you angry because I didn't tell you anything about it?" It was a question that she ventured on asking, though her face was neutral. But it faded as soon as Fuji smiled.

"I'd rather kiss you senseless than be angry with you," he slyly said that made her body turn beet red.

She didn't expect such answer to come out from his mouth.

"W-well, that won't work on me all the time," she countered in which he only replied with a heartfelt laugh. It was a laugh so contagious that she couldn't help laughing along, as well. As soon as it dissipated, she looked at him intently. He did the same. "Will everything I've suffered for a long time finally end after this?"

A gentle squeeze on her hand answered that. "I don't know. But I'll make sure one thing to you. Consider this my promise."

"A promise?"

"I'm not going to let you suffer all alone anymore. I'll do my best to make you happy, to love you more than you think. I'll be with you all the way. That's how I love you, Miyako. Remember that, okay?"

Hot tears streaked down her cheeks once more. But this time, those tears meant a lot—of which it held her relief, happiness, and love for the person who saved her when she least expected it.

Fuji chuckled lightly as he wiped the tears that stained her cheeks with his free hand. "I just realized now that you're a crybaby."

"Your fault."

A light laugh erupted from both of them. But it was okay. What mattered now was the fact that they were together again. Death didn't succeed in taking Miyako away from Fuji.

And with that, they all had the time in the world to cherish the second chance that was given to both of them. They all had the time to show their love to each other. That was what mattered to them.

**-x-x-**

_**Two weeks later…**_

"You're going where?"

"To Kanagawa," Miyako answered simply to Fuji's surprised question. She told him about her plan to head to Kanagawa two days after she was discharged from the hospital.

Well, initially, Fuji took it as a joke. But upon learning that Kanagawa was actually Miyako's hometown, he decided to give it a careful thought. It was summer vacation but the tennis practices for both girls' and boys' tennis clubs had become rigorous than ever. In addition to that, Miyako wasn't able to participate in the Kantou Regionals because of her condition that time. In a way, he felt guilty because it was partly his fault why it happened. To repent for that, he told Coach Ryuzaki that he won't play in Singles 3. Their captain agreed to it, much to his surprise. He didn't dare find out the reason for that, though.

One thing he knew, he was thankful that the tennis captain allowed him not to play. In his guess, Tezuka probably told the truth about the reason why he decided not to play for that particular competition.

"But why are you going to Kanagawa? And at this point of the year, too." He tried reasoning but no plausible reason came out. Right now, he just wanted to know the reason for Miyako to decide something like that.

Her face turned from slightly enthusiastic to seriously sad. She turned and looked away, too. At that point, the ground seemed to be extremely interesting.

"I need to find a closure… with regards to what had happened in the past. I have to finally let go of everything I've held on for a long time the moment Kaito died." A heavy sigh escaped from her lips and faced him, the same facial expression was still on her face. "Going back to Kanagawa where it all originated is the only way for me to do that. And besides, I have to help Seiichi at this time of the year. He tends to act a lot stranger than he usually is during this time."

"He acts strange? In what way?" Well, that made him quite curious about the Child of God since acting stranger than he usually does was something that… was quite intriguing.

"I can't tell you about that since I made a promise to him that it's supposed to be a secret. But that's besides the main point. I have to let things go. This is the only chance I have right now. Please?"

So the issue there was about finally letting go. And from what Fuji could tell, it was of extreme importance that she must do it alone. But he knew he would be worried for her the moment he allowed her to do what she had asked him to. It wasn't like he didn't trust her. Any possible dangers and threats to her life—especially a threat named Yoshimi Ryou—had been properly taken care of. But he couldn't help it.

He was still worried for his girlfriend…

"I'll be careful if you're really that worried for me, Syuusuke," Miyako said reassuringly as she held his hand and squeezed it a little.

He faced her. This time, she has a smile on her face.

"You just have to trust me on this, okay?"

"Are you sure you'll be fine on your own?" Sheesh! He was starting to worry the same way as Oishi.

She nodded confidently. "There are people there who wouldn't let anything bad happen to me again. I'll be okay, I promise."

Another squeeze he did on her hand that he held finally made him agree to her plan. He guessed she really needed this.

_And I think I need this, too… It's about time I let her do this on her own._

**-x-x-**

Well, a year of not going back to her hometown was probably enough for Miyako to feel something like butterflies fluttering in her stomach. Why wouldn't she? No one knew the real reason why she left Kanagawa after Kaito's funeral. She left everything and everyone without a word, without even saying goodbye to them. In a way, she could say she was a little guilty for doing so.

She just hoped they'd understand her reasons as soon as she managed to explain to them the truth about that.

Though there wans't many people around, Miyako felt cramped as soon as she arrived at the train station of Yokohama. And to think it was summer, too… The air around was sticky and hot. Good thing she was wearing the right clothes for that particular season. Or else, the sun was bound to cause dehydration if her body released too much sweat just because of wearing the wrong type of clothes.

Adjusting her duffel bag onto her shoulder, she looked around the area for a while. The place hadn't changed a bit, in her perception. But somehow, she still felt… different when she looked around. She was expecting something to come and hit her as soon as she set foot on the place which held too much memories to her. But it never came.

In fact, what she truly felt was nostalgia. No pain, no sadness, no regrets—just nostalgia. A small smile appeared on her face when she thought about that.

Instead of riding a taxi to go to the place that came to her mind, she chose to walk and enjoy the scenery. She didn't care if the sun was too hot for her skin. Her hometown was too beautiful for her to ignore at all. And so she started her long walk after buying three bottles of water and two bottles of hydrating drinks. She would definitely going to need all of it.

Two hours of walking and a total of three hours of enjoying the scenery—all in all, she sum it all up and realized that it took her five hours just to reach her first destination on foot. And what was even weird, she didn't feel tired at all. Well, the sea breeze helped her a bit with that. She took a stop at the seaside as soon as she reached the area just near the sparkling ocean. Despite the hot sun, she was impressed at that particular scenery. After all, ocean once held her dreams from a long time ago.

And those dreams buried in the depths of her mind were starting to resurface. At first, she thought remembering those moments would bring out a lot of her emotions that she tried to bottle up. But just like what happened at the train station, it didn't come. It looked like they turned into merely memories—a part of her life that she once held on. From the looks of it, she must have let it all go before she knew it.

_No… Not all of it… Not yet…_

So in order for her to let it all go just like what she wanted, there was one place she needed to go for her to do that. And finally, she reached it.

"First in the list of important places to go as soon as I reached Kanagawa…" she mumbled and looked around for a while. Her face turned solemn at the sight of something in front of her. "…Kaito's grave…" A wry smile appeared on her lips. But soon after, a grateful smile replaced it the moment she placed a bouquet of purple lilac on the tomb. She bought those purple lilac earlier while she was walking.

She bought those flowers for a reason. And that was to remind her of who Kaito was to her—just as how purple lilac meant.

Kaito would forever be the person who thought her how to love for the first time. He would forever be her first love—just like the meaning of the purple lilac. Heaving a heavy sigh, she crouched down in front of the grave.

"I'm sorry if I only visited you now," she started in a really apologetic tone. "It took me a lot of time before I finally had the courage to face you again. To be honest, I still can't forgive myself for what happened to you even though most of them kept on telling me that it wasn't my fault at all. But I still kept on thinking that it was. I couldn't move on because of that. And you know that, don't you? You let it all happen, so that I could meet Syuusuke and make me realize that I should never linger in the past forever."

The wind blew gently and slightly cold—with the cold part being weird since it was summer. When she looked up to the sky, she saw that the sun was still there blazing hot and causing the weather to turn nice and warm. But slightly cold wind blowing forth? That doesn't make any sense. Still, she continued.

"I really don't know how to thank you for doing that. I can't thank you enough for making me realize a lot of things. What we had before was already in the past. I know you're one person who would never let me live my life in regret all my life. You'll always be my first love and I'll always remember that. Because now I know fully well that… I'll forever be thankful to you for bringing Syuusuke to my life after I had lost you. I'll forever be thankful for making me realize that Syuusuke will always be my true love. Thank you for making me realize all that, Kaito." But never did it come to her that saying all that would make her cry and her heart would swell in so much happiness.

One realization after another… All of which had made her grateful for having this second chance to live her life again…

…this time, she'd live it with the man she considered as her one true love who had never forsaken her despite all that had happened.

She'd live that second chance of her life to the fullest along with her true love—Fuji Syuusuke.

"Thanks again, Kaito…"

Those were her final words before she left the cemetery with a light feeling in her heart, as if a heavy burden had finally been lifted off of her. She left the place with a smile on her face.

Now she was off to go to the second of the important places she must go to in Kanagawa.

**-x-x-**

Rikkai Daigaku Fuzoku. Well, it was better known in its short term—Rikkaidai.

Well, it wasn't actually the school that was important. But it was more of the people who actually go there to study. More specifically, her friends. Even though she didn't study there during her middle school years before she transferred to Seigaku, it was one of the places she constantly went to.

Looking around the campus, everything seemed to be the same. The atmosphere, the discipline, the aura of the students there—it all felt the same as the last time Miyako went there. Middle school or high school, the school's aura remained the same. Or maybe not all of it were really the same.

The aura around the high school division was much more serious than the one in middle school, much stricter than she ever thought. All of it were more evident on the tennis courts of the school where the best tennis players of Kanagawa prefecture were trained since the school was most likely known for its capabilities in honing the tennis players to their best. After all, they had a reputation to live up to.

As soon as Miyako reached the courts, she immediately saw several familiar people there. Four of those people were doing their regular drills for that particular day and the other one—who happened to be the only girl there—was busy listing something down as she watched the tennis members' training. Miyako's steps were technically as light as that of a cat on a hunt when she decided to go near the courts. But with steps similar to that of a cat doesn't seem to be enough to approach the girl who was listing something down on her notebook. She also needed courage to do so.

That girl—as Miyako thought—was somehow compared to Yanagi when it comes to her habit which was gathering data. But the lemon-haired girl knew there was more to that seagreen-haired girl than that. Her data-gathering ability encompassed an even larger scale than just about tennis and the school. In a way, that's what made the girl a little hard to approach, especially if the atmosphere around was something that must not be broken at all cost.

On the other side of the court from where Miyako stood, few groups of girls where there ogling at the sight of the tennis club members doing their training. Some of them couldn't possibly help it that they squealed the captain's name, the vice-captain's, and the other members' names—including Yukimura and Sanada. Well, including Yanagi for some reasons, Miyako heard that the Three Demons of Rikkaidai made it to the regulars' spot durin the Ranking Tournaments. While the others (Niou, Marui, Yagyuu, and Jackal) were substitute regulars.

Miyako glanced to the courts and immediately took notice of the Rikkaidai captain's narrowed eyes boring holes in her. But she didn't feel uneasy or scared. She knew that look. The captain, Nanasaki Satoru, was looking at her as if he was trying to assess her in some way. And since she doesn't want him to think or try to remember her thoroughly, she smiled and waved her hand. Satoru's face lit up in such a way that no one from the team noticed but she could easily tell. And the seagreen-haired girl appeared to have noticed that, as well, making her stop listing down whatever notes in her record book and confusingly turned around to look. Well, no surprise there that the girl smiled upon recognizing Miyako standing a few steps behind her.

"Miyako?"

The lemon-haired girl's smile widened when she saw that girl's smile. "Looks like you're getting busier as a team manager, Hotaru." Then she glanced at Satoru who was still seriously watching over the tennis club members' peformance. "And it also looks like Satoru-san hadn't smiled the whole day. His wrinkles keep on adding up on his face. If that serious atmosphere doesn't dissipate for even a bit, I won't be surprised if I see Satoru-san looked older than my father by next year."

Of course, Hotaru laughed at Miyako's rantings that obviously caught the attention of the other team members there. From the looks of it, Hotaru wasn't known for suddenly bursting out in laughter in the middle of tennis practice of the club, especially on that particular day.

"It seems to me you haven't laughed like that all day," she commented and looked around. A smile appeared on her face when Satoru told the team to have half-hour break and the Three Demons finally saw her with their manager Nanasaki Hotaru—also known as their captain's little sister who was totally serious in her job despite being just a freshman like the Three Demons.

Finally succeeding in containing her laughter, Hotaru faced Miyako and nodded as an answer. "Well, the weather is one reason for that. It's totally driving us nots. And the other was because some of our advanced tennis equipments had been vandalized to the point that the club needed to but new once before the Kantou Finals."

"But the Kantou Finals will already be three weeks from now. How will you be able to produce new ones before next week?"

"I don't know, to be honest. The club's semestral budget was already used and we won't have any additional until next semester. So don't be surprised if you saw Onii-chan this frustrated to the point of having additional wrinkles on his face. Even Hirota-fukubuchou is frustrated. At this point,we can't really do something to calm them both down," Hotaru stated a little exasperatingly.

Miyako tried to observe around the area more and she noticed that Satoru's frustration over the situation was taken out on the club members—regulars and non-regulars alike. But before she could even comment about her observations, her vision caught something on one side of the court that made her frown a bit. Hotaru noticed that, though.

"What's wrong, Miyako?" Hotaru asked, a little worried and confusingly.

A heavy sigh (probably close to exasperation) was the only answer that came out of Miyako's mouth before mumbling something that confused the team manager further.

"He's still holding on to that?" was the only thing the lemon-haired girl said.

"Who's holding on to what?"

"Seiichi," Miyako answered soberly with hints of pity and sadness in her voice that further heightened Hotaru's confusion. "He's still holding on to that old blue paper crane…" _Could it be that… he's still hoping for something to happen? Perhaps a miracle?_ She added in her thoughts without tearing her gaze away from Yukimura who was sitting on one corner or the courts and blankly staring at the blue paper on his hands. The look on Yukimura's face made it hard for her to just stand there and watch him like that.

Without a word, she put down her duffel bag beside where Hotaru stood and jumped across the small fance to enter the court. The group who was watching the tennis practice were surprised. But to the tennis team's confusion, Satoru didn't dare try to stop Miyako at all. Even Hotaru who was strict when it comes to people causing disturbance during practice wasn't saying anything. There and then, they realized that Captain Nanasaki Satoru and his sister Team Manager Nanasaki Hotaru somehow—if not fully—knew the reason for Miyako's actions. The serious looks on their faces—one that was different from what they were used to see from them before—already proved that.

"That blue paper crane… How is it so important to Yukimura-kun that he always zone out whenever he looks at it?" Vice-captain Hirota Sui asked as he approached his captain.

"To be honest, I don't know the real story of that paper crane to that boy. But Miyako… Maybe she can distract him away from it for a while."

Hirota smiled a small smile. "If one wouldn't dare try knowing the truth, I would say that Yukimura-kun and that girl Miyako were once a couple." A few seconds later, his smile faded. "But now that I look at it carefully, I think it's only Miyako who knew the story of the item that Yukimura-kun could never let go. I think even Sanada-kun doesn't know the story of that item at all."

If only they knew how true it was… and it was increasing the Emperor's worry for the Child of God even more…

Not only him, but also the other team members had the same question in their minds. But it seemed that no one would be able to know the answer to that—at least for now…

**-x-x-**

**There's chapter 7. Please review!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Prince of Tennis and its characters. I only own the OC's and plotline of this story.

**Warning:** Characters might not be in their usual selves. In other words, possible OOC

**The setting of this story is in first year high school. Momoshiro and Kaidoh aren't exactly present in this story since they are still in middle school, only in their third year. Ryoma isn't present either as he was residing in America (at least he was in this story). The timeline and original anime plotline will somehow be changed in this fanfic, especially about Tezuka supposed to be going to Germany, Oishi supposedly not going to enroll in Seigaku's High School Division, and Kawamura supposedly going to quit tennis to pursue being a sushi chef. In any case, this is my story so I guess that's one of the changes that I had to do.**

**Enjoy reading!**

**-x-x-**

**CHAPTER 8 (Final Chapter)**

Sighing heavily seemed to be the only thing that Miyako would stop doing everytime she would see a certain blue-haired boy named Yukimura Seiichi holding an old blue paper crane on his hands. He would look at it with his eyes devoid of any emotions, and yet she could tell the truth that lies hidden among those set of beautiful lavender eyes of his. Yes, she was one of his best friends. But among his set of friends (including those he considered his best friends), perhaps she was the only one who knew the real story of that paper crane he held on so dearly no matter how many years had already passed.

At this point, perhaps only she could tell that the so-called Child of God in the realm of junior tennis circuit has a heart that incessantly broke apart piece by piece, thanks to the memories that the paper crane held. It was that one small paper crane which became his garden of memories with the person who gave it to him a long time ago. And that garden of memories was exactly the reason for Yukimura to zone out every time he would look at that item.

Those memories—no matter how much she try to do something—would always break Yukimura's heart piece by piece.

_I wonder if there was still a part of his heart left for him to love someone other than __**her**__…_ But further giving it a careful thought, she came to an exasperating realization. As long as Yukimura won't learn to let go of that paper crane, he'd never be able to give himself a chance to love someone else. It'd always be _**that girl**_ in his memory who will hold his heart.

And somehow, she could understand that. She was on the same boat once before…

…until Fuji came along.

Another sigh came out of her mouth—a sigh that showed a little exasperation over the situation. As light as she could, she walked towards Yukimura. She ignored the stares of the people on the court—both inside and outside.

**-x-x-**

"Is she really going to approach Yukimura? She sure has some guts to do that, especially for a girl," Niou commented.

"Yukimura's not the type pf person who liked to be disturbed especially when he's into deep thinking just like what he's doing right now," Marui added, followed by blowing a bubble using his gum and popped it.

"What's even stranger than that are Nanasaki-buchou and Hirota-fukubuchou. They're not doing anything to stop the girl at all. Water break or not, they couldn't have allowed her to enter the courts and disturb Yukimura," Yagyuu further stated as he pushed up his glasses while glancing simultaneously to Miyako and the team's captain and vice-captain.

"It's because they could tell," Sanada blurted out that surprised the rest of them. It wasn't like the stoic man to be like that. After all, he didn't care about girls that way.

But further analyzing the situation, it wasn't only Satoru and Hirota that were acting weird over the matter. Sanada and Yanagi were the same. The former was just watching as he was sipping from his water bottle while the latter wasn't taking down notes like he used to do when something like this happen. Those four people had a serious look on their faces. It was a look of serious understanding over the situation but it has hints of puzzlement and curiosity.

"They could tell what, Sanada?" Jackal managed to ask.

"Onii-chan and Fukubuchou knew that only Miyako could take Yukimura-kun's attention away from that paper crane," Hotaru answered as she approached the boys from behind. "And from the looks of it, I think it's only her who truly knew the reason why Yukimura-kun couldn't let go of it until now."

"Not even Sanada knew the reason? What about Yanagi?"

"As clueless as the rest of us are," Yanagi answered.

"Are those two a couple?"

"No, they're childhood friends and besides Shinjou Kana, Miyako's one of the girls who could get close to him without worrying about the other girls throwing glares at her. It's because Miyako knew she and Yukimura-kun will only remain as friends and nothing else," Hotaru explained.

"You sure know a lot about that Miyako girl, Hotaru-chan," Niou said with a smirk.

"That's because she's my childhood friend, as well, besides that fact that she's also a family friend." That was when Hotaru noticed the wide grin on the Trickster's face which made her narrow her eyes as she looked at him. "Don't even think of trying to do anything weird on Miyako if you don't want Onii-chan to get you beaten to pulp before the Kantou Finals."

"Don't forget that Seiichi is there to double the punishment, as well," Yanagi seconded. Hotaru smiled at that, which left the rest of the boys a little astounded. Hotaru rarely smiled in front of them, but it seemed that surprises had become the theme of the day.

Miyako appearing in the courts…

Hotaru laughing and smiling for the first time since last week…

Satoru not doing anything about Miyako approaching Yukimura…

They were just a few of the surprises that had happened that one dreary day. Oh, well. They could use a few surprises once in a while. It was a rare feat that a girl could bring that to them.

"I wonder what could they be talking about," Marui wondered as he tilted his head to the side while watching Yukimura and Miyako talk.

The atmosphere between those two was something that rarely happened inside the courts of Rikkaidai. The atmosphere had obviously spoke of something akin to denial, sadness, and hopelessness. It was a type of sadness that they had never seen in Yukimura's face before, especially if it was this obvious.

"For 500, I bet all of us won't find that out in the next two years," Yanagi suddenly declared nonchalantly as he jotted down something on his notebook.

"Isn't that a little big? Can't we just do it in tens, not hundreds?" the volley specialist whined, seriously taking Yanagi's bait. "I was planning on betting for 50 that Yukimura won't react to whatever that Lemon Girl was talking about."

"And you really have a plan on making Yukimura into Sanada? I doubt he won't react," Niou said. Of course, the Trickster earned a totally fatal glare from the said stoic man which he ignored in return. He was used to this since middle school, after all. "For 70, Yukimura will just ignore Lemon Girl with his creepy smile."

"…which is something I highly doubt will ever happen," Hotaru mumbled contradictingly as she slightly shook her head. "After all, Miyako is Yukimura-kun's honorary twin sister for one reason that they have similar personalities, besides the fact that she knew why he's like this."

"I guess I change my bet. For 50—"

"If you even dare continue doing that bet, don't expect you'll be able to play tennis in the next two years."

Hotaru snickered while the rest just froze for a few moments when they heard that chilling voice belonging to the lemon-haired girl. And now she was looking at them with raised eyebrows. The seagreen-haired manager approached the Trickster and the self-proclaimed tensai and tapped their shoulders.

"If I were you, better heed her words because she really means it."

"You're talking as if you know that Miyako-san could really do something like that, Hotaru-san," Jackal commented.

Hotaru faced the bald Brazillian with a small smile. "That's because I know what she can really do, Kuwahara-san. Trust me, just because she looked like a fragile girl doesn't mean she's not that skilled to do what she said. If you think I'm lying, you can ask Onii-chan about that." Soon after, however, that smile faded. Her face showed a slightly sad expression. "Her skills, however, tend to lose its purpose if the lives of the people she truly cares about are on the line. One second she's in control of the situation and in the next, she'd snap. And I don't want to have a glimpse of that worst side of my friend again. It'll take her a few years before she could even rebuild herself after that."

"When did something like that happen?" Yagyuu asked—albeit a little nonchalant.

A few moments of tensed silence surrounded them before a sigh broke it. "Two years ago, at the night where we almost lost everything that me and several others had vowed to protect with our lives. It was a night that opened our eyes to many things. And… it was a night that I think Yukimura-kun doesn't even want to remember at all… even though he wasn't really there when it all happened…"

"Now you're really getting hard to understand, Hotaru-chan," Marui complained when he was getting more confused to Hotaru's words than ever.

"It's not a situation that is easy to understand, Marui-kun… And I doubt anyone will ever understand that at all. Besides, if it's really as easy as that, we wouldn't have lost that much at all during that one night…"

A deep frown appeared on Marui, Niou, and Jackal's faces. Yagyuu was nonchalantly looking at the extremely serious Hotaru. Same goes to Yanagi and Sanada. Hotaru seemed to have said a lot in one day but her words were vague. They were like riddles that won't be easy to decipher at all.

Maybe Yanagi was right.

Maybe it would take them about two years before they could finally find out the truth about Yukimura's hold on the paper crane, his conversation with Miyako, and Hotaru's riddle-like words that held so much stories no one would easily figure out.

**-x-x- **

"You sure have some free time to just stare at an old paper crane, Seiichi," Miyako started in a voice that couldn't exactly hide what she was feeling at the moment for the blue-haired friend of hers. "…which of course, I don't find surprising at all."

Luckily, the person she was talking to wasn't totally drowned in the depths of his thoughts. Yukimura looked up to see who it was. But as much as he wanted to hide it, he couldn't. He was surprised to see a familiar lemon-haired girl now looking at him with a pout and her hands on her waist. He would've laughed at the sight, but one thing made him not to. It was the look on her silver eyes in which he could describe as something akin to concern and worries. In addition to that, it was also the look that said she knew what was making him like this.

Of course, Miyako was able to find that out easily. And it was safe to assume that only she knew the truth—for now. He was grateful about that.

"About time you came back to Kanagawa," Yukimura said as grateful as he could, no matter how much he knew it would be a futile effort.

Miyako sighed and crouched in front of him. Her face still has the same look as it was a moment ago. "Yeah. And I think it was the right thing for me to visit you today. If I had known before that you'll be like this again, I shouldn't have left this place all of a sudden."

You don't have to do that, Miyako. It's just that… I can't help thinking about her lately. It's starting to become so frequent that I think I'm about to go crazy if I don't look at this blue paper crane. She gave this to me, you know… And for some reason, looking at it somehow helps me keep my sanity intact," he replied truthfully. Of course, his voice still has hints of sadness as he spoke.

"Seiichi… it's already been two years. Is it really that hard for you to move on?"

Yukimura smiled wryly, not breaking his gaze to the blue paper crane on his hands. "Move on? How could I possibly do that, Miyako?" He paused and zoned out again. "Two years… I never thought it's already been such a long time since it happened… and yet…"

At this point, Miyako couldn't say anything more to reason out Yukimura's words. She knew the feeling of having a hard time moving on. Well, she had been there before. To be honest, she wouldn't be surprised if she found out that everyone in his circle—of course, except her and his sister—were clueless about the fact that Yukimura Seiichi had always been in love with the girl who gave him that blue paper crane. And she realized that no one would probably be able to know about that in the next two years if the three of them could keep this up. No one would know the pain that the Child of God had held in his heart because of losing that girl two years ago. No one would know that Yukimura Seiichi was actually holding on to the memories of that girl until now… despite the fact that the girl was already…

_Dead…_ It was the word that is said to be the only force in this world that is truly capable of separating two hearts in love. Or maybe not all the time… _If only I can tell him the truth…_

She was about to say something when her ears caught bits of the conversation on the other side of the court. It also caught Yukimura's attention—which made her glad even for a bit. She chose to listen carefully to the conversation. But as seconds passed by, she started not liking the whole point of the conversation.

To be more specific, she didn't like the whole point of the bet. So even before Marui could start changing his bet, she spoke.

"If you even dare continue doing that bet, don't expect you'll be able to play tennis in the next two years," she said threateningly with raised eyebrow as she looked at them.

Well, it did shut them up… thankfully. And not only that, it also made Yukimura smile. Now she was even more thankful about that.

"You should keep up with that smile, Seiichi. If she's alive today, I know she won't leave your side until she made you smile no matter how miserable you are."

His smile turned into a sad one, though. "But she's not here anymore. And never will be. I don't have enough reason to smile the same way I could do before."

"Is tennis not enough for you to smile?" It was a hopeful question in a hopeless situation for Miyako. But even if he didn't answer, she could already tell that the real answer would always flash on her mind.

Yukimura was quiet for a while. It was a different type of silence that further intensified the truth lying in front of them all this time.

"Only she could make me smile as if I have reached the heaven without straining myself. Her innocent smile was already heaven for me. Tennis is my life, but so was she… before. Now…" But Yukimura couldn't continue his sentence anymore. _Now I felt as if a part of me was taken away the night I realized I'll never be able to retrieve it whatever I do. That part of me went with her… and no one will be able to know that at all…_ he added sadly in his thoughts as he looked at the paper crane on his hands. "This paper crane held so much meaning to me that made me unable to let it go easily."

"I know that. It's also the reason why I can't take that away from you even though it's so clear to me that it would only hurt you to no end."

" 'One day, I want to see you soar tha sky of your dreams freely just like that crane. I used a blue paper to fold it into a crane. You know what the color blue means, right? Blue represents hope. That's why I want you to hope for a better future as you soar that sky which holds all of those dreams and hope that you have in your heart…' Those were her exact words when she gave this to me 5 years ago. But—" he paused and faced her with his lavender eyes now dimmed with pain, sadness and hopelessness that he couldn't show to other—except to the people who truly knew his predicament. He could only show it to Miyako and to his sister Mihiro. "—how am I supposed to do that? Right now, I only have one thing that I could ever hope for, more than anything else. But tell me, Miyako. Can this hope bring her back to me? Can I at least hope that I can turn back time so I could tell her I love her? Can hope do that for me?"

The lemon-haired girl was utterly speechless at those words that came out of his mouth. She knew he was hurt when he learned that he had lost the girl he loved. But never did it occur to her that he would be hurt up to this point. His words were definitely unexpected in every way possible.

All she could do was to sigh exasperatingly. But something told her that it was never meant to mock or pity Yukimura's situation at all. That exasperating sigh was meant for her inability to save her childhood friend. From his words alone, she could tell how much pain he was going through all this time. And she'd bet that it was a kind of emotional pain that could never be compared to what he had felt upon losing Nationals to the hands of Echizen Ryoma. Or even to the physical pain he had been through during his rehabilitation.

His pain right now was so much more than all of that. And how she hated herself because she couldn't do anything to help him ease that pain.

_I'm sorry for being such a useless friend, Seiichi…_ Miyako wanted to say that but she couldn't. Instead, she said something different. "Want us to have a date after this?"

"A DATE?!"

Miyako wanted so much to punch Yukimura's friends as they exclaimed like that. Those voices echoed in the entire court like thunder that she immediately covered her ears with her hands. Do these boys know that expposure to loud sounds could cause someone to turn deaf? And to think their exclamation was so loud that it sounded a lot like a train…

… or maybe it was still discreet.

Ah, who cares? She has an even more important business to take care of than dealing with a bunch of tennis players who were clueless as to what privacy meant. Or maybe privacy doesn't actually exist in their vocabulary. In any case, this could be a good chance to ask Satoru to double or even triple those sneaky tennis players' training once her mission was over.

It was a mission she dubbed as "Operation: Lift Up Seiichi's Spirit And Make Him Forget About His Pain For A While"—which she realized by now, that mission sure has a long title—that she knew the others couldn't do at this point. Especially if they were this clueless about Yukimura's situation.

_It's really hard bearing someone's secret when you can't even do anything to help your friend because of that secret that's causing him this much pain…_ Her situation was something she really need to think about. She must do her best to protect it until the time comes that Yukimura was willing to reveal it to his friends.

His soft laughter snapped her from her musings and made her face him. He was facing Sanada and the others as they looked at him with wide eyes. Well, except Sanada and Yanagi, of course.

"Don't be surprised. It's actually natural," Yukimura answered with that serene smile on his face. And yet something was still off with it.

It wasn't his true smile at all. It was that thought which made her furrow her brows as she continued to look at him. This was definitely starting to become frustrating and worrisome.

"Yukimura, I know it's natural for a girl to ask you on a date. But you never smiled like that while they were asking you. And now this Lemon Girl is asking you on a date during practice without a fuss and you're still smiling like that?" Marui inquired disbelievingly without breaking a single sentence. After that, he exhaled deeply.

Now it was Miyako's turn to smile even though she was a little pissed about the way Marui called her. Lemon Girl? She knew she had lemon-colored hair but was it even enough for him to refer to her as such? But then she decided to let that go. Right now, her priority was Yukimura. Surely, the girls who were just outside the courts were enraged, jealous, and envious that she could do such a thing to Yukimura without a fuss, as the sugar freak stated. She might as well prepare for her departure since it would be obvious that those girls would be ready to murder her when she got out of there.

"It's a natural occurrence to both of us, Marui. There's no reason for you to be that surprised. It's not like I've committed a great sin with the way you're looking at me right now," Yukimura said casually and then he faced Miyako. "Isn't that right?"

"Well, it will only be natural to me if you accept it. Of course, you can decline. But that doesn't mean I won't stop bugging you on the phone by this evening."

Soft laughter erupted from Yukimura and Miyako that the others could only watch while gaping at the sight. The lemon-haired girl had actually made Yukimura laugh when he was zoning out earlier and no one could actually him when he was like that. They couldn't believe it.

"Lemon Girl is unbelievable…" were the words that Niou managed to utter, also adopting the nickname that Marui used to refer to Miyako.

"I agree," Yagyuu said.

"Without too much effort and just her words, she managed to distract Yukimura from zoning out even more," Jackal added.

"I hate it when Hotaru-chan is always right," Marui grumbled and chewed his gum with much haste, probably out of frustration.

"And I hate it even more when Sanada and Yanagi here are not actually saying anything about this the entire time."

"It's not like it was actually mandatory for them to say something about a natural occurrence, as Yukimura-kun stated it," Hotaru said nonchalantly while listing something on her notebook.

Seriously, this girl Hotaru has the exact same habit as Yanagi. No wonder those two were so close. But there were no news about the progress of their relationship other than the fact that they were friends…

…which was too cliché for an answer whose relationship was obviously not as simple as being friends…

"Then Sanada and Yanagi really knew that something like this will happen after a short conversation between Yukimura and Miyako-san a while back?" Jackal asked. Hotaru answered with a nod.

"They're childhood friends, after all. And it was Miyako's way of distracting Yukimura-kun whenever she could tell that there's something which could make him upset or sad. That's how sensitive Miyako is towards her childhood friend."

"If that's the case, then why didn't they end up as a couple?" It was Niou's turn to ask a question to their seagreen-haired team manager.

To be honest, Hotaru's head felt like it was about to burst from dealing with the inquiries of these boys. She might need some aspirin for easing her severe headache at least for a bit. And she might as well answer this porcupine-haired Trickster's question before she completely burst out there.

"There's only 0.02% possibility. For them to become a couple was already deemed impossible from the start…" Yanagi started, much to the team's surprise and Hotaru's relief.

"…especially when Miyako was already betrothed to the youngest son of the Yoshimi family ever since she was young. And besides, I think there's another reason for the impossibility of those two being a couple to exist," Hotaru finished.

"A reason that only Yukimura knew…" Sanada added gravely. "…and probably even Miyako also knew. Only that she made a promise not to tell it to anyone at all."

"Including us…" Hotaru said matter-of-factly.

Well, the ongoing conversation was something that Miyako chose to ignore for now. She was only focused on waiting for Yukimura's answer to her suggestion of the two of them having a date after his tennis practice.

And it was just a friendly date, for heaven's sake! Why did people have to make such a big fuss about it? Just because she was actually asking Yukimura—a.k.a. the Child of God—on a date? How she wished these people wasn't so clueless about the situation…

But it wasn't something that mattered so much to her. And she musn't be careless about hiding her childhood friend's secret.

"You'll go?" she ventured. That suggestion for a date was actually an out-of-the-spur suggestion for not being able to handle looking at Yukimura so hurt—even if it was physical and most especially, emotional. That was how special Yukimura to her.

To her delight, he smiled and nodded. His smile at the time he did that was true, no matter how sad.

And that concluded their conversation during the team's water break. She was glad she was able to distract him even though it took her so much courage with so little time to do that. But she knew that everything was far from over.

**-x-x-**

A satisfied smile had crossed Fuji's face when he managed to defeat his opponent who was a junior member of the club on that particular practice match. The score was 6 games to 3. He had to admit that it was a little hard for a practice match. But he was able to pull through. Well, it was a good way to vent out his worry for Miyako, even though he completely knew there was nothing to worry about.

"Fuji."

The tensai looked up and saw Tezuka approaching him as soon as he got out of Court B. It looked like his friend ended his own match quite well in Court D. He smiled at the sight of his best friend's mood at that particular moment. Yes, Tezuka was still stoic but the aura he was exuding was totally different to that of those times during their middle school.

It was a slight change but the effect was completely out of range. And Fuji was glad to know that it was love that had caused those changes to Tezuka.

"Is there something wrong, Tezuka?" he casually asked when they finally decided to head out to the locker room to change clothes. The practice that day was harsh but they managed to come out alive. And to their delight, it was ended early. They still have time to relax until evening.

"I haven't seen Yumemiya-san all day," Tezuka started.

"My, Tezuka. Since when did you become interested in my girlfriend's activities?" the tensai teased which made him earn a glare from the bespectacled stoic man. He just laughed at it, though. "She went to Kanagawa… to find closure and let her heart heal completely. Or at least that's one of the main reasons she told me."

Of course, what he said had caught Tezuka's attention. Though the action was subtle, it was still obvious. They've been friends for a long time for him not to notice at least that much. And from the way Tezuka looked at the tensai, Fuji could already figure out the next question that was about to come out. The question could actually went like "What's she doing in Kanagawa? Will she visit Sanada and Yukimura at Rikkaidai?"…

…or maybe not.

Before, he couldn't do such a thing no matter how hard he tried. Or maybe there were times he succeeded but not that completely. He really had to thank Hondou Kazumi for doing such changes to Tezuka.

"I know she's going to Rikkaidai to visit some friends. Especially Yukimura, for some reasons. She told me up to that much so I have nothing to worry about. Didn't you tell me before? Yukimura and Sanada helped you with investigating Miyako's case. And she told me that those two were her childhood friends, with Yukimura being the person she was particularly close to. She said that at this point of the year, Yukimura usually acts strange that made her worry for him."

"Yukimura's acting strange?"

Fuji shrugged a bit. "I don't know the particulars but it seems that she knew the reason behind that. In any case, I just let her do what she wants before the Kantou Finals three weeks from now. I don't want her to worry about other things that might distract her during the match."

"You really love her that much." It was a surprising statement on Tezuka's part, though. The whole conversation and the case which almost cost Miyako's life were also enough to prove that statement.

"It's just the same way as how you love Hondou-san," Fuji said with a gentle smile. "To ease Miyako's worries in her mind, I could only do this much."

**-x-x-**

Watching the Rikkaidai Tennis Club members with their training and practice hadn't been a bad thing to do at all for Miyako. In fact, she was delighted that she could watch it. Because of that, she was able to formulate new techniques in her mind that she might be able to use during the Kantou Finals. As it went on, she was able to inquire Hotaru about the damaged tennis equipments. Without letting Hotaru and even Satoru protest, she firmly suggested that they could take her tennis equipments left in the Yumemiya mansion right there in Kanagawa.

"But aren't those your tennis equipments, Miyako? We can't just take something that can be considered as your personal belongings," Hotaru reasoned.

"No one's going to use those tennis equipments there, Hotaru. Among those who resides in the Yumemiya mansion here in Kanagawa, I'm the only tennis freak there. Besides, I don't want to use those equipments to rot in there and get wasted. I'm sure I won't be able to use to in more than a year or so."

"Then why didn't you just bring them to Tokyo?" Satoru asked.

"Onii-san bought new ones when he transferred to Tokyo. Not only that, those tennis equipments would only remind me of a lot of things. This is just my way of letting go of those memories so that I can move on for good. Please accept it. And if you're worried about what the principal will say about this, just tell him that he could talk to me or my brother if he has concerns with regards to this. I could do equipment testing if I have to just to ensure each of their functionality. Is that okay?"

Of course, with that kind of pleading, the Nanasaki siblings couldn't do anything but to accept her request. After all, they were aware of what had happened to Miyako.

Right after tennis practice, Yukimura immediately took his tennis bag and approached Miyako on the right bleachers where she was sitting and probably busy finishing her 11th manuscript. Her 10th manuscript was already approved by her editors and just waiting to be published. Without giving Niou and the others a chance to stalk on their date, Miyako and Yukimura immediately left the courts with Satoru and Hirota's permissions.

And now, they were on the beachside where they used to stay when they were kids. It was their long time sanctuary, after all. It was the first place that came to Miyako's mind when she suggested that date.

"By the way, I forgot to ask a while back," Yukimura started. In response, Miyako shifted her focus from the ocean to the blue-haired boy's face. He was staring sadly at the ocean, though. "How are thing between you and Fuji-san after that case involving Yoshimi Ryou?"

A gentle smile appeared on her face no matter how much she tried to suppress it. "We're progressing. At least I can say that much, though. But then I must say that he had gotten a little similar to Oishi-kun who worries a lot. Not to mention, he got a little possessive, too."

"You can't help it. With what happened to you, I can understand the reason for Fuji-san to worry for you."

"I guess you're right." Her face turned serious. "But to be honest, I think I should be the one worrying for your actions this past week."

Yukimura wanted to deny that. But just like smiling in front of Miyako even though she completely knew the whole reason why he was acting strange, he knew it was already a futile effort. He couldn't hide at least that one fact from this lemon-haired friend of his.

"I could only do this much for her, Miyako. As each years passed since it happened, the memories that I have with her started to fade away. For now, they were just getting slightly blurred. But I can't help it. The thought of totally forgetting her one day is already too scary for me to acknowledge."

"Seiichi…"

"I don't want to forget her, Miyako. I can't bring myself to do such a thing, especially at this point where I could only think of nothing else but to reach her in every way possible."

Her eyes narrowed at those words. "…including the part where you have to venture your life for that to happen…"

A wry smile formed on Yukimura's lips before staring blankly at the ocean starting to get tainted by the red-orange sun. "I won't do something as foolish as taking my own life, if you're thinking of that. Despite knowing that she's not residing in the world of living anymore, I'm not that desperate. She'll hate me for sure if I did that."

No words came out of her mouth after hearing all that. His blank face, his sad words, his longing stares to the ocean—they were just the reasons why she couldn't say anything to comfort her friend. She couldn't help feeling so useless…

…and guilty, as well.

The latter emotion, however, was because of one other reason that she couldn't tell to Yukimura. After all, she made an oath a long time ago. Whatever happens, she must protect that secret in any ways she could. But seeing Yukimura mourn over the loss of a special girl in his heart like this for two years already was making it hard for her to keep that oath.

"You really… love her that much…" she murmured and faced the setting sun. "But how long are you going to keep up with it? How long are you going to stay like this? You still have a life to live for, Seiichi. If she sees you like this, I don't think she'll take it lightly."

"But she's not here anymore… and it's one fact I can't live with no matter how hard I try. Not once… Not once have I forgotten to wish for something like giving me a chance to see her again… Be with her again…" Yukimura clenched his fist on his side. Miyako noticed this, though.

_So he was struggling to keep his tears from falling…_ Now she wouldn't wonder why he was like this. He couldn't release it. He was putting up this tough act despite the futility of it. "You know, you don't have to struggle like this, Seiichi."

Yukimura's head shot up at the word 'struggle' which made him face the girl beside him. She was looking at the ocean but he could tell that her attention was completely focused on him. Minus the eye contact, of course.

"Lucky for you to notice that," he retorted wryly.

"I'm not exactly that oblivious to your internal struggles at this time of the year, Seiichi. But you don't really have to do this all the time. Sanada-kun and Yanagi-kun are worried about you. Even Satoru-san and Hotaru wondered why you're like this. If you keep on hiding it and bottle it up inside of you, I don't think—"

"I know that!" Yukimura snapped that cut her off and startled her a bit. But she wasn't that surprised on his outburst. "I know that… But I don't want to bother them with this. I realized that when I struggled to fight for my life while I was sick during middle school. Besides, they will consider this as foolish once they found this out. For now, I don't want to be called like that. I don't want them to call those memories as foolish thinking."

All she could bring out as a reply to that was another exasperating sigh. "If you say so, then. But can you at least try not to think about it too much? I don't want to be going here every time I listened to Satoru-san and Hotaru's phone calls complaining about you acting weird during water break. You're really going to kill me for worrying so much about you."

Yukimura smiled at her remarks and embraced her soon after. "I wonder what will I do if you're not here at this time of the year."

"You're probably here at the seaside, sadly watching the sun to set as you compare them to human's end of his lifespan. And I guess you're probably be even more dramatic and angsty than this. You're a boy, okay? It's not good for your image if they saw you like this. Letting them know how you act while this angsty is way out of your character."

Of course, what Miyako said was enough to make them laugh.

"Thank you so much for being my friend and for doing this, Miyako," the blue-haired boy said sincerely as he embraced her tighter.

With a grateful yet sad smile, she returned the gesture. "I'm your honorary twin sister, right? It's just natural for me to do at least this much to help you cope up, I guess."

**-x-x-**

After that long talk at the seaside, they decided to have dinner at the Yumemiya household. Miyako hadn't expected, though, that Yukimura's parents would be there, too given the busy schedule of the couple with their respective jobs. The couple welcomed her the same way before, while Miyako was still residing in Kanagawa. As for his little sister, a 13-year-old Mihiro, she welcomed the lemon-haired girl with a big hug that said everything about how much the younger Yukimura missed her.

"You just left without saying goodbye to us," Mihiro said with a pout.

Miyako only smiled apologetically as she patted the younger Yukimura's head. "I'm sorry. A lot of things had happened and I don't want to bother you with it. It's already enough that I lost Kaito. I don't want to lose another important person if I told you about it and let yourself get involved in it. I'll never be able to forgive myself if something like that happened." And it was the truth.

Before, all she could think about and prioritize was the safety of her friends and not to involve them with her problems. And until now, that determination was still in her heart. Only intensified tenfolds because of her relationship with Fuji. That blue-eyed tensai was the one reason why she was able to fight like this when she couldn't do so before.

Unconsciously, he face showed a faint smile that Mihiro noticed. At that point, the blue-haired girl already knew Miyako's meaning behind her words.

"I'm glad Fuji-san is taking good care of you right now," Mihiro suddenly said with a knowing smile. The blue-haired girl's words snapped the lemon-haired freshman out of her musings. "I heard from Sei-nii about what happened to you two weeks ago. And I also read your 9th novel. Whoever is this guy named Fuji Syuusuke, I have to thank him for making you smile like this. I have to thank him for saving you from drowning yourself in loneliness because of Kaito-niisan's death. Promise me you'll let me meet him one day, okay?"

Though surprised at the words that Mihiro spoke, Miyako was truly glad to know that the younger Yukimura approved of her relationship with Fuji. And she made a mental note to fulfill this young girl's wish. "I promise."

**-x-x-**

"You heard that, Fuji-san?" Yukimura asked to the person on the other line. He was in the kitchen when Fuji called him and asked him about Miyako. It was just then that he overheard his sister and his friend's conversation. All he did was to place his phone stealthly in the living room and let Fuji hear it.

A chuckle was Fuji's first reply to that. "I really have to give your sister a compliment for her observation skills."

"Well, I know Mi-chan will be glad to know that."

"Mi-chan? Miyako?"

"No, it's how I call Mihiro. Come to think of it, that's how Mamoru-san call Miyako, right?"

"Yeah." Then silence hovered around for a few moments. "How are you there? Did Miyako succeed in distracting you from whatever it is that disturbs you at this time of the year?"

Of course, what Fuji had asked surprised Yukimura. "What else did she tell you about that?" Though he must admit, the way he asked that question was a little frantic. He was worried that other people knew his secret besides Miyako and Mihiro.

"Don't worry. She didn't mention the specifics of that. Only that she must be there with you to distract you from it."

Yukimura mentally sighed in relied when he heard that. _So Miyako really kept her promise…_ he couldn't have been more glad to his childhood friend about this. A smiled soon appeared on his face, despite knowing that Fuji won't be able to see it. "Take care of Miyako, Fuji-san. For now, that's all I could ever ask of you."

He had no way of knowing what Fuji could be thinking on the other line. But from how he knew the Seigaku's tensai, one way or another, Fuji would find out the truth behind the Child of God's words. But somehow, he knew that Fuji respected Miyako's privacy regarding Yukimura's secret.

"You don't have to tell me that. And you don't have to worry, too."

"Glad to know," Yukimura answered in relief and with a grateful smile.

**-x-x-**

Though a little unexpected, Miyako was somehow forced to sleep at the Yukimura's since they knew she wouldn't be able to reach the last trip of the train going to Tokyo. Besides that, it was already past 11 that Mihiro felt herself sleeping. The streets at night weren't that safe, as well. The younger Yukimura didn't leave Miyako's side the entire time and asked her questions with regards to her tennis life and of course, her love life. She obliged to that, althoug there were times that she couldn't help worrying for Yukimura especially when he was alone.

She took the early trip going to Tokyo. Well, before that, she and Yukimura took a morning stroll and once again, stopped by their sanctuary. Seeing him smiling at the moment the sun appeared on the horizon was somehow enough for her to think that he would be okay in the next coming days. Or at least, before next year where he would surely sulk like that again in one corner with that blue paper crane. And she would definitely come again to make sure he'd be fine.

As soon as she stepped out of the train upon arriving to the station, her cellphone rang. With a slight frown (dure to curiosity) and a faint smile (because she was happy) upon seeing a familiar name on the screen, she pushed the _Answer Call_ button and placed the phone to her ears.

"You sure call at a great time, huh?"

"You think?"

"Being my boyfriend for two weeks already, do you think I'm still clueless as to how you actually do things, Fuji Syuusuke-san?"

A faint laugh was heard in the background. Of course, her ears caught a few more sounds in the background while conversing with Fuji.

"Where in the world are you right now? I can hear something else in the background." But before she could even try to look around the area for some reasons, her vision went black as a pair of hands were placed over her eyes. The warmth from those hands was undeniably familiar to her as it coursed through her veins. And for that, she smiled as her hand moved to one of the hands that covered her eyes and turned around. "You knew I'd be coming back today."

What she said was a statement, in which Fuji answered with a smile and a nod. "Someone told me, to be more specific."

"Seiichi told you, huh?"

"By the way, how are you after going to Kanagawa?" he started asking as he took the duffel bag from her and dragged her with his one arm around her waist.

Miyako just went with the flow, thinking tha Fuji would want het to talk on a quieter place than the train station.

"I've never felt better like this before I met you. Going to Kanagawa did a lot. I finaly managed to explain to them why I left all of a sudden. In a way, I could say it all went well." After saying that, she suddenly remembered something. "By the way, where will we go for our next date?"

"To your first official book signing."

She frowned. "My what?"

Fuji chuckled at the puzzled and hesitant reaction of his girlfriend. "You still don't want to do an official book signing, do you?"

"I do… but I think I like the thrill of being a novelist whose true identity is unknown. I just like to stay hidden and anonymous, as much as possible. More or less, I want to do the things I love without too much disturbances like book signing."

Her explanation was enough and Fuji nodded knowingly. "You just like to do things secretly, huh? Well, I think you have a point. Just don't pressure yourself."

"Look who's talking! I know that just because you're a tensai doesn't mean you're not pressuring yourself."

"I'm not," he insisted.

"Liar," she murmured but she meant it as a joke.

But it was enough to stop Fuji to his tracks which made her face him with a confused look. "What's wrong?"

Though long before she could comprehend the events that had happened, Fuji pulled her close to him. She found herself being kissed by this tensai gently and full of love. She might find it weird and extremely surprising, but she gladly returned his kisses in the same degree. It took her a few moments to realize something, making her squirm a bit and let go from his lips.

"What?" he asked confusingly, but his smile seemed too suspicious to be real.

"Well, I need to remind you of something important."

"Something important?" This time, his smile became amused.

She should've known. "We're in public, in case you didn't know that!" she hissed as she looked around.

"Well, you returned my kisses just the same. Besides, I think it's okay with them," he said teasingly that she had the urge to punch this guy in the face.

"Syuusuke!" Her face reddened at his remarks.

But before she could really punch him, he dragged her again, doing so as careful as he could. His hold on her was possessive, and for once, she liked the idea of Fuji Syuusuke being possessive. They agreed to walk for a while instead of taking a taxi going home. They did it hand in hand as they talked about various topics.

"Ne, Syuusuke… did I ever tell you?" Miyako suddenly blurted out.

"Tell me what?"

"Thank you… for making this story—our love story—as perfect as possible. For making this love of ours something that I want to remember my whole life…"

They stopped walking and faced each other, with his hands on her shoulders. "You're the one who made it perfect, Miyako. And I can only have this perfect moments when I'm with you. I want you to remember that. Okay?"

A smile crossed her face and then she embraced him. Indeed for them, their story was close to perfect. They've endured a lot, sacrificed a lot, and struggled a lot. All of it turned this story into something worth remembering. And it would always be a perfect love story to them that full bloomed that particular time of the year—underneath the blazing summer sun.

****THE END****

**-x-x-**

**There's chapter 8 which also happened to be the final chapter of this story. Please don't forget to review! Please, please, please!**

**Next story will be about Oishi and his best friend, Shinjou Kana—also known as the "Valkyrian Column" of the Five Columns of Seigaku. Their story will be set in autumn season. Watch out for it!**


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